Teana's Travels Book 27: Invasion
by D.K.N
Summary: After around three months of peace following the closing of the Malia issue, the Dimensional Defense Force's rest is violently cut short as the Reapers arrive in force, ravaging Realm ME-N7 and using warp-gates to hit a few DDF worlds outside that realm as well. Can Commander Shepard unite the galaxy, rally the fleets, and stop the slaughter? Rated M for violence and language.
1. The Fall of Earth

Okay folks, here's the big one. The Reapers are the biggest threat the Dimensional Defense Force have yet faced, so _everybody's_ getting involved, and because of what kind of threat they are don't be surprised to see some of the DDF's other enemies joining the fight against the giant mecha space-squids and their cyber-zombie hordes. Be sure to read through, because I have quite a few divergences from game canon planned for this Book.

What I'm _really_ pissed about is that You-Tuber Legend-of-Mania's Mass Effect 3 Complete Expanded Soundtrack has been pulled, and I can't find the full thing anywhere else on the entire Internet…

As a side note, I have gone back and 'prettied up' Books 3 and 4 a little, as well as removing references to _Yu-Gi-Oh_, _Sailor Moon_, and _Digimon_ characters being part of the DDF from Books 16 and on (if I missed any, let me know). They're no longer canon, since I wasn't using them much anyway. …I might make a Digimon Book later on, though; haven't decided.

**DELAY CAUSED BY: **After Palaven (and Eden Prime, and Grissom, and Sanctum, and…), I started Hanar Diplomat, but because I was F*CKING STUPID I saved & quit before finishing it, which triggered a bug and rendered the sidequest unfinishable. I had to go back to the last pre-Hanar-Diplomat save. Which was "Quick Save – Vancouver, Earth". So, because of one stupid mistake made because I was worried about my system overheating (I generally limit my playthroughs to 50-65 minutes at a time), I had to **_START THE ENTIRE CAMPAIGN ALL OVER AGAIN._** Hence the extra delay before I could start this Book. At least I hadn't gone very far; if it'd happened, like, after Tuchanka or Rannoch, I'd have just said "screw it" and wrote this book solely from YouTube vids and year-old memory.

I _thought_ that bug only happened with the "recruiting Blue Suns for Aria" mission. Guess not. So, from now on, if a sidequest on the Citadel is started, and it involves running around doing things on the Citadel, DO NOT SAVE & QUIT, AND DO NOT LEAVE THE CITADEL. Do that sidequest all in one go – no stopping, no saving, no leaving. Aria: Blue Suns, Aria: Blood Pack, Hanar Diplomat, Batarian Codes, Cerberus Retribution, Inspirational Stories, Volus Ambassador, Wounded Batarian… Do not save game, do not leave Citadel, do not pass Go, do not collect 200 credits.

Further delay caused by me taking a few days to mess around with the Citadel DLC's Armax Arsenal Arena, and by a heat-wave and our inefficient house cooling system (thing called a 'swamp cooler', combined with _ancient_ wiring meaning we can't run more than one major appliance (e.g. any one of our house's four air-conditioner-type devices) at once without tripping the circuit breaker) meaning the hot air in my room made my 360 take longer than normal to shed its built-up heat after being turned off, which in turn meant longer wait times between playing and therefore more time needed to beat the game.

And remember: Travels-verse Shepard is an "Adept-Vanguard Engineer with Sniper Training", meaning he's got all the powers of Adept and Engineer classes, plus Shockwave and Biotic Charge.

**THE FOLLOWING THINGS ARE THE PROPERTIES OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS; I DO NOT OWN THEM AND MAKE NO MONEY OFF OF THIS STORY**

_Mahō Shōjo Lyrical Nanoha _(Teana, various other characters) – 7Arcs

_Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni _(Shion and friends/family) – 07th Expansion and Studio Deen

_Shuffle!_ (Kaede Fuyō and associated characters) – Navel and Asread

_Erika's New Perfume _(Marie, Sarah, Erika, Timmy, Veronica) – DeviantArtist 'Lance the Young'

_Mai-chan's Daily Life _(Mai, Kizuna) – Waita Uziga

_Star Wars _(Ahsoka, Cody, Rex, _Force Unleashed_ cast) – George Lucas, Lucasfilm

_Halo_ (Forerunners, UNSC, Sangheili Alliance) – Bungie, 343 Industries

_StarCraft_ (multiple characters, events, and devices) – Blizzard Entertainment

_Naruto_ (characters, techniques, abilities) – Masashi Kishimoto

_Mahō Sensei Negima _(characters, spells, abilities) – Ken Akamatsu

_Kingdom Hearts _(characters, weapons, enemies, concepts) – Square-Enix

_Neon Genesis Evangelion _(characters, concepts, tech) – Studio Gainax

_Elfen Lied _(Kaede K., others) – Lynn Okamoto, Arms

_Red vs. Blue _(The Blood-Gulch Crew, the ex-Freelancers) – Rooster Teeth

_My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic_ – Hasbro, Lauren Faust

_Transformers Film Series _– Hasbro, Michael Bay

_Transformers: Beast Wars _– Hasbro, Mainframe Entertainment

_Yu-Gi-Oh! _– Kazuki Takahashi, Viz Media

_Sonic the Hedgehog _– SEGA

_Gears of War _– Epic Games

_Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles _– Columbia Tristar (I think)

**_Mass Effect _****– ****Bioware**

_Metroid _– Nintendo

_Puella Magi Madoka Magica _– Gen Urobuchi, SHAFT

_The Legend of Zelda _– Nintendo

_Tōhō _– ZUN

_RWBY _– Rooster Teeth

_Pretty Cure / PreCure_ – Toei Animation

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-****_BOOK 27 START_****-**

**Midchilda – Cranagan – Task Force XI Headquarters**

**108 Days Since Malia Abaddia's Death; 180 Days Since Destruction of Collector Base**

Teana Uchiha-Lanstar relaxed as she sat in one of the lounge's big comfy sofas, one hand holding a datapad with an abridged report of recent retrofits to base auto-defenses. She reached a hand back to move her hair – formerly down to where her butt met her thighs, now recently cut to mid-back – as she adjusted herself in her seat. The TSAB military had been doing what they could to improve planetary defenses on all levels, as well as repairing & retrofitting existing ships while constructing new ones, as well as work on the captured _Saint's Cradle_, which was due to very soon have its restoration and refitting completed; they were going to rechristen it with a new name when it was done.

All this preparation was because the Bureau – actually, all member-states of the Dimensional Defense Force – knew that they had powerful enemies lurking in the shadows; Xehanort and his 'Seekers of Darkness', Amon and his Hybrids, Jul 'Mdama and his extremists… They never knew when any of their myriad enemies might try something. Though, their enemies had been rather quiet lately; a few minor 'trouble spots' here and there, some sightings of enemy big-wigs like Ruin or Joker, but for the most part the last three months had been peaceful. Of course, everyone in the DDF took that opportunity to prepare and train for when trouble inevitably _did_ return.

Teana sighed as she looked around; currently, the members of Gamma, Sigma, and Theta Teams were partially split up, at various points in various DDF-controlled realms. This was nothing major; the teams would occasionally separate to handle different little things, and the higher-ups, knowing how important the teams' bonds were, never had them apart for more than 7-10 days at a time. It had been only three days since the most recent assignment-splitting. Subaru and Ginga were here on Midchilda; Mana, Kaede K., Aqua, and Anya were in their respective home realms; Kaede F. was in the Phoenix League's realm, helping the Tripartate with something; Erio, Caro, and Laicixa were on the UNSC's Earth; Ahsoka and Shion were on Shakuras, the former starting her tutoring in using Void power; Mai was with Kizuna on Equestria; and Asa, Timmy, Erika, Mariko, Marie, and Sarah were all in the 'Mass-Effect' universe – Asa assisting Liara, Marie helping Garrus with something on Palaven, and Sarah & the kids on the Citadel.

The orange-haired girl was pulled from her thoughts as Nanoha and Fate sat on either side of her, both of them giving her a smile; the three of them had gotten rather close by now.

"You okay, Tia?" Fate asked, running a few fingers through the younger girl's hair. "You look a bit tired."

"I've just been having a bit of trouble sleeping" Teana replied, unconsciously leaning into Fate's hand until she pulled away. "I just… can't shake this strange feeling that something's about to happen. And that 'something' doesn't feel like it's anything good."

"Having trouble sleeping?" Nanoha asked, a mischievous smirk on her face. "You know, I bet Subaru or Vice could help you with that, no problem, just like usual. And if they can't, well…" she caressed the girl's face. "Fate and I could, too…"

Teana blushed; that was one personality facet she'd learned that Nanoha and Subaru had in common.

"In all seriousness," Nanoha continued while absent-mindedly holding the girl's hand, rubbing the back of it with her thumb as she talked (Fate was doing the same to the other hand), "what do you think it means? I mean, you are a little bit Force-Sensitive; you can only really _use_ it for that 'Combat Clairvoyance' trick that Jedi use to tell where & when to move their sabers, but… maybe what little connection to the Force you have is trying to warn you something's coming?"

"I hope not" Teana replied, not resisting as Fate pulled her head close to lean against the blonde's shoulder. "If it's something big enough that someone with a near-zero connection like me can feel it coming…"

"Perhaps we should call Ahsoka-chan up and ask her if she's sensed anything lately" Fate suggested.

Before any of the three girls could do or say anything more, however, their Devices chimed…

**-****_Break_****-**

**Equestria – Canterlot – Joint Equestrian/COG Military Base, Outskirts of Capital**

Shining-Armor Sparkle, Captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard, trotted through the hall of the base, occasionally taking glances out the windows as he passed. In the past few months, the people of (what remained of) the Coalition of Ordered Governments had, despite their tumultuous and battle-worn history, settled in very well on Equestria. They'd helped the ponies acclimate themselves to the new technologies introduced by the DDF at a rapid yet controllable pace, making sure everypony who got the new tech was 'ready' for it. The Equestrian military had benefitted from improved weapons, armor, tech, and training, while the COG-Remnant made good, practical use of magitech.

Of course, there'd been a few events worthy of note, _especially_ the incident involving the chaos spirit Discord's brief escape and day of country-wide craziness about two months back. But Twily and her friends had handled that quickly enough, and the Draconequus was now back as the centerpiece in the castle's royal garden.

As Shining entered one of the base's rooms, he found Sergeant Fenix there as well, and the human veteran gave the unicorn soldier a respectful nod; the two had developed a mutual respect and a sort of camaraderie in the past few months.

"Anything new?" the man asked in his rough voice.

"Nothin' to write home about" Shining replied. "Some of the long-range scanners have been picking up weird ghost-signals about halfway between here and the Moon, but they look like sensor glitches, or maybe dust particles in the solar wind. They're going over it to see how to fix it."

Just then, Damon Baird walked in, grumbling as he worked on a datapad.

"What's eatin' ya, Baird?" Marcus asked.

"Couple of our sensor satellites are freakin' out" the engineer replied. "This data doesn't make sense; no way it's real."

"Well, our scanners are picking up weird readings lately" Shining said. "Maybe they're connected?"

"Eh, I dunno. Maybe it's just… Whoa."

"What happened?" Marcus asked.

"…We just lost all signals from three of our satellites. Wait, five. No, eight! What the fuck's going on up there?"

Shining Armor felt a chill run down his spine. Then, as he looked out a window, he saw a large shadow on the ground a little ways out, getting bigger and bigger…

**-****_Break_****-**

**Shakuras**

Shion and Ahsoka sparred, locking blades under the watchful eyes of some of the Dark Templar. Suddenly, everyone present suddenly 'felt' something; Ahsoka staggered, nearly falling over as she reached a hand to her head. The two Gamma-Team members and the Dark Templar extended their psychic senses upward, toward the source of the sudden disturbance… and Ahsoka went pale.

"Oh… Oh no…" she whispered.

**-****_Break_****-**

**Midchilda**

"Alert" Raising Heart reported. "Large-scale dimensional breach detected halfway between Midchilda and its closest moon."

"Alert" Bardiche joined in. "Multiple large objects emerging through the breach, making course for Midchilda."

"Warning" Cross Mirage chimed in. "Objects are opening fire on Bureau naval vessels. Stand by… Video feed from forward cameras of _Lance_-class cruiser _Corona_."

And as the image appeared on-screen, the three girls felt shock that quickly segued into dread and horror…

**-****_Break_****-**

**Equestria**

(MUSIC: _Mass Effect 2 Combat OST _– "The Human Reaper" – to 0:13)

The three men rushed outside, joined by other humans and ponies including Mai, and they looked up at the sky.

"My God…" Marcus whispered with dread.

"They're…" Mai murmured, her voice wavering. "They're _here_…"

(0:13 to 0:48)

Descending through the clouds were multiple giant black machines, 160 meters in size with four massive legs, their structures tapering up to a point at top, and single glowing red photoreceptors on their fronts; they were joined by a handful of utterly massive 2-kilometer versions, squid-like in design, and high up, overseeing them all, was a 2500-meter one with dark-blue 'running lights'. Already ground-based defenses were engaging, and the ancient monsters returned fire with slicing crimson beams of destructive power. High above, the planet's token DDF naval force was engaging the enemy as well; already, four ships were burning, as the wreckage of satellites began plummeting down to the planet.

**-****_Break_****-**

**Sanghelios**

A massive force of hundreds of Sangheili ships, with more arriving from slipspace every moment, stood between the huge force of invaders and their world, plasma torpedoes and particle-beam shots firing out at the horde of metal abominations emerging from the warp-rift; already, a handful of the black machines were dead in space, their advanced metal melted through, but the others were eagerly returning fire, their beams burning at the Sangheili ships' shields.

**-****_Break_****-**

**Realm ME-N7**

(_ME1 OST _– Sovereign's Theme – 0:51 to end)

"_This is Palaven Command! Surviving hostiles have made planet-fall! Requesting assistance!_"

"_Urgently: our colony world is under heavy attack. Pleading: Please send help immediately._"

"_By the Homeworld, there are __**hundreds**__ of them! Send word back to Rannoch; tell them __**they**__ have arrived!_"

"_Everyone, __**move**__! Get to the evac shuttles!_"

"_Oh God, it sees us! It's gonna shoo-_"

"_By the Goddess, this can't be real!_"

"_The gates of Hell have been broken down, and the demons are streaming out…_"

"_It's gonna __**step on me**__!-! Somebody HEL-_"

"_They're here!-! THEY'RE HERE!-!-!_"

(MUSIC END)

**-****_SCENE BREAK_****-**

**Realm ME-N7 – Earth**

"How bad is it?" Anderson asked.

"_Bad_" Hackett replied. "_We just lost contact with two of our deep-space outposts. There's something __**massive**__ on long-range scanners._"

"Is this what Shepard warned us about?"

"_I'd stake my life on it._"

"How long do we have?"

"_Not long. I've sent word; the fleets are mobilizing._"

"God help us all…"

-_Break_-

Commander Jason Shepard sat in his quarters in the Vancouver military base. For the past few months, he'd been here on Earth helping oversee preparations, acting as a consultant and a trainer/instructor, while the _Normandy II _was examined, refitted, and ridded of its Cerberus paint job. The brass had also been keeping him here because he needed to keep a low profile; the Batarians out for his blood, thanks to the Hegemony leadership executing the survivors of Aratoht, denying the true threat's existence, and playing the propaganda story of Shepard having callously murdered the Bahak system's inhabitants 'for no good reason'. The rest of the galaxy (and some Batarians who lived and operated well outside the Hegemony, such as those in Aria's sector of space) knew the truth, but…

Shepard's attention was drawn as the door opened, and a muscle-bound marine with the Alliance symbol on his tight grey shirt walked in.

"Commander" the man saluted.

"James" Shepard nodded. "What's up?"

"We gotta go, man" James Vega replied. "The defense committee wants to see you."

"Sounds important…"

Shepard followed James out and through the halls, passing many Alliance personnel as they hustled about; there were a few Quarians here & there too, a sign of the continued strong ties between the two races."

"What's goin' on?" Shepard asked.

"Couldn't say" James replied. "Just told me they needed you, _now_."

Just then, a familiar face – wearing Alliance 'dress blues' with Admiral insignia – walked out through the crowd.

"Anderson?" Shepard said.

"Admiral" James saluted.

"You look good, Shepard" Anderson said, shaking Shepard's hand as the two of them started off down the hall, with James following. "Maybe a little soft around the edges. How you holdin' up since being stationed here?"

"It's not so bad once you get used to the hot food and soft beds. What's going on? Why's everyone in such a hurry?"

"Admiral Hackett's mobilizing the fleets. I'm guessing word's made it to Alliance command. Something _big_'s headed our way."

The trio started up a flight of stairs.

"You think it's _them_?" Shepard asked.

"We don't know," Anderson replied, "not for certain."

"What else could it be?"

"If I knew that…"

"You know that if it _is_ them, we're not ready yet. We've only been really preparing for less than half a year."

"Tell that to the defense committee."

"Unless we're planning to talk them to death, the committee is just a waste of time."

They moved up along a higher hallway.

"They're just scared. None of them have seen what you've seen. You've faced down one of those monsters. Hell, you spoke to one, then blew the damn thing up! You've seen how they harvest us, what they plan to do to us… You know more about this enemy than anyone."

The three continued, entering an office with a check-in desk. An Ensign looked up at them.

"They're expecting you two, Admiral, Commander" she told them.

The group kept moving down a few more halls, and soon reached the point where only the two 'big names' would be allowed to pass.

"Good luck in there, Shepard" James told him.

Shepard nodded, shaking Vega's hand.

"Shepard!"

Jason turned to see another familiar face, her hair having grown down to mid-back, and now wearing a unique-looking blue uniform.

"Ashley?"

"Lieutenant-Commander?" Anderson spoke up. "How'd it go in there?"

"I can never tell with them" Ashley replied. "I'm just waiting for orders now."

"Admiral, they're ready" a secretary called.

Anderson nodded, and he & Shepard moved on, with Shepard giving Ashley a nod as he passed. The two of them entered a large office, with a huge window overlooking Vancouver, multiple desks lining the walls, and a large table at the end with three Alliance officials seated at it, looking out over the room.

"Admiral Anderson," one of the two men on the committee greeted, "Commander Shepard."

"What's the situation?" Shepard asked as he and Anderson came closer, an aide handing Shepard a datapad.

"We were hoping you would tell us."

"The reports coming in are unlike anything we've seen" the female committee member said. "Whole colonies have gone dark. We've lost contact with everything beyond the Sol Relay."

"Whatever this is," the first man said, "it's _incomprehensibly_ powerful."

"You brought me here to confirm what you already know" Shepard said, looking around at everyone. "The Reapers are _here_."

A hushed clamor rose among the people manning various consoles around the room.

"Then… how do we stop them?" the woman asked.

"Stop them? This isn't about strategy or tactics; this is about survival. The Reapers are more advanced than we are, more powerful, more intelligent… They don't fear us, and they'll _never_ take pity on us."

"But… there must be some way."

"If we're gonna have any chance of surviving this, we need to stand together."

"That's it?" Member 1 asked. "_That's_ our plan?"

"Yes. Every soldier, every fleet, every world, every _species_… It'll take the entire galaxy united for us to get out alive."

"Admiral, we've lost contact with Luna Base" an officer woman off to the side called out.

"The moon?" Anderson asked. "They can't be that close already…"

"How'd they get past our defenses?" the committee-woman murmured.

"Sirs, UK headquarters has a visual."

On the main display screen was an Alliance marine shouting into the camera, flames behind him. There was a deep metallic bass note, and a brief instant glimpse of something huge and black, and then the signal was lost. After a couple seconds, multiple screens showed up in a mosaic of sorts on the display, with various news outlets or satellite images, all showing the titanic abominations beginning to run roughshod over Earth. The screen paused and magnified a news image of a Reaper Dreadnought stomping its way through a city, fires burning all around it.

"Why haven't we heard from Admiral Hackett?" Anderson wondered.

"What do we do?" Committee Member 1 asked.

"The only thing we can" Shepard replied. "We fight… or we die."

"We should get to the _Normandy_…" Anderson said to him.

Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound from overhead, accompanied by clapping thunder and a faint metallic bass. The committee members got up and turned around, looking up at the cloudy Vancouver sky as flashes of light lit the clouds from above.

"Oh my God…" the committee woman breathed.

Then, a Reaper Dreadnought descended from the low clouds, setting down right in the middle of Vancouver and immediately firing its heavy weapon in a sweeping motion… right towards the base.

"Move!" Shepard shouted.

The blast shattered the large window and sent the heavy curved table tumbling clear across the meeting room, with the three committee members' bodies joining it. Shepard ducked, and came back up just in time for the shockwave from a second blast to send him flying into the far wall. He lay on the floor, dazed and ears ringing.

"…pard! Shepard!"

Anderson's voice brought him back to reality, and he groaned as he picked himself up.

"Come on, get up!" Anderson helped him to his feet, handing him a Predator pistol. "We've gotta get moving."

Shepard checked on the one committee member he could see, but it was clear the man was beyond saving.

"This is Admiral Anderson; report in, anyone. …Lieutenant-Commander Williams, is that you? What's your status? …I can't raise the _Normandy_. You'll have to contact them. We'll meet you at the landing zone. Anderson out."

As Shepard walked out through the broken window, he gazed out at the devastation – fires, falling buildings, fighter craft from both sides zipping through the air, and Reaper Dreadnoughts towering over Vancouver's skyscrapers. Anderson patted him on the shoulder, and the two of them jumped down to a lower pathway.

"They're _massive_…" Anderson breathed out. "Come on, Shepard. Ashley's headed to the _Normandy_. They'll pick us up if we can get to the spaceport. Let's move!"

The two of them hurried along the narrow walkway, briefly stopping to shield their eyes as a Reaper Beam cut by overhead. They moved up a level, taking a running jump across a gap, and then dropped down a level. As they headed for a ladder, an Alliance fighter flew by, being pursued by two Oculus drones; one of the Reaper fighters scored a fatal hit, and the human craft careened out of control into an office building. After climbing the ladder, they got up on top of a ventilation duct and ran along it.

"Lieutenant-Commander, do you read me? I'm patching in Shepard."

"_We're almost to the _Normandy" Williams reported, with gunfire in the background. "_I've got Lieutenant Vega and Captain Reegar with me, but we're taking heavy fire._"

"We're about five minutes out" Anderson replied. "We-… Shepard, Husks climbing the building ahead. Let's take 'em out before they realize we're here!"

Shepard nodded, and he & Anderson opened fire with their Predator pistols. The Husks, their heads shot through, plummeted. They moved down a ladder, approaching a house with the door locked, where a few more Husks were trying to break through the windows. Shepard took out one with a Warp and another with an Incinerate, and used a Throw attack to send two more climbers flying off the side of the building. Just then, the Reaper 'nearby' fired its beam in a sweeping motion, and it 'grazed' the building, knocking Shepard back on his ass and blowing the door and windows out.

"Not as clean and subtle as bypassing the lock," Shepard remarked as he got back up, "but that works, too."

The two of them headed inside, and approached a malfunctioning door. A Husk tried to claw at Shepard through the gap, but he formed his Omni-Blade and stabbed the cyber-zombie through the head. He then used his cyborg strength to wrench the sliding doors apart, holding it open for Anderson to pass through.

(MUSIC: _Mass Effect 3 _– "Take My Hand")

Suddenly, he heard a thump behind him. He let go of the door and turned around, just in time to catch sight of a little head poking out from within a floor-level ventilation duct. The child crawled backward further in as Shepard approached.

"Hey…" Shepard knelt down to face the boy – no older than seven or eight, wearing a light-grey sweatshirt. "It's okay."

"Everyone's dying…" the boy murmured, shell-shocked. "They turned my parents into… _things_…"

"Come here…" Shepard spoke softly. "I need to get you someplace safe. Take my hand…"

"…You can't help me."

"Shepard!"

(END)

He turned as he heard Anderson's voice. After a second he looked back inside the duct, but the boy was gone. Sighing, Shepard got up and followed the Admiral.

"Argh, this is a god-damned mess" Anderson growled as he started shifting rubble around to clear a path. Every minute those things are here, thousands of innocent people die. I won't be responsible…"

"It's hard enough fighting a war," Shepard replied as he followed Anderson through the crawl-space he'd created, "but it's worse knowing no matter how hard you try, you can't save them all."

"Exactly. They hit so fast… I thought we'd have more time."

"We knew they were coming" Shepard said as he moved ahead, now holding a metal beam up for Anderson. "We've been preparing nonstop for almost half a year."

"And they still just cut right through our defenses. We need to get to the Citadel, talk to the Council."

"The Citadel? The fight's _here_."

"It'll be everywhere soon enough. You said it yourself: the Reapers will destroy _everything_ if we don't stop them. The Council _has_ to help us."

The two of them came across a narrow ledge over a chasm, and started shuffling across, pressing themselves against the wall.

"You sure about that?" Shepard asked.

"No, but you're a Council Spectre; that has to count for something."

The ground trembled, and Shepard nearly fell forward into the abyss…

"Gotcha!"

…only for Anderson to catch him.

"Thanks" Shepard said. "I owe you one."

"_More_ than one…" Anderson replied.

They finished passing through, finally reaching an area where they could move and fight, stopping to grab some spare thermal clips before heading through a broken window and down onto another improvised walkway.

"God…" Anderson murmured as another Reaper Dreadnought made landfall in the harbor, the ground shaking from the landing. "Lieutenant-Commander Williams, we're in sight of the spaceport; ETA three minutes."

"_We've made it to the _Normandy_, taking heavy fire… Oh, God! It's gonna take down the _St. Helens! _Evasive maneuvers!_"

Up ahead, an Alliance dreadnought was exchanging heavy fire with its Reaper counterpart, its railguns firing explosive slugs at relativistic velocity, and taking hits from the Reaper's molten-metal cannon. As Anderson and Shepard moved on, explosions ripped through the _St. Helens_, culminating in a brilliant flash as its reactor went up. A few seconds later, the shockwave hit, tossing Anderson & Shepard about and making the 'platform' they were standing on give way, sending them tumbling down to an area closer to the water. Shepard picked himself up, watching the burnt pieces of the _St. Helens_ plummet into the water as the Reaper moved on.

"_Normandy_, we're going to reroute" Anderson radioed. "Do you copy?"

The reply over the comm. was incomprehensibly garbled, the connection out of commission. The two men moved on, soon dropping down to an area where two marines – one with his leg pinned by a very large piece of rubble that stretched across the water – were there.

"You two all right?" Shepard asked.

"Get down! They'll see you!" the medic replied.

Across the water, a squad of Husk-type creatures waited; their bodies were red-hued and bulky, with cannons grafted to their right arms and five glowing eyes.

"Those don't look like they were human" Shepard remarked.

"Yeah, looks like the Reapers have already hit the Batarians" Anderson said.

The Batarian-Husks opened fire with their arm-mounted guns, and Shepard & Anderson returned fire. Shepard took one out with a headshot, and immediately the one next to it knelt down and started eating its body. Shepard grimaced.

"Well, I know what to call these new ones now."

"You mean, besides 'abominations against nature'?" Anderson said.

"Cannibals"

"That works, too."

Shepard sent out a Biotic Pull that yanked one Cannibal into the air, letting Anderson shoot it down without popping his head out of cover. Next, Shepard fired an Incinerate that roasted another Cannibal, followed by a Warp that shredded a third and then a Cryo Blast that froze a fourth for Anderson's shots to shatter. The last one was downed by a few shots from Anderson, and then the two officers headed back over to the downed men.

"What happened here?" Anderson asked.

"Our gunship was shot down" the medic replied. "We barely made it."

"You have a radio? We're trying to contact our ship."

"No. There's one in the gunship, but it's gonna be crawling with those things."

Shepard looked across the water, spotting the tail of the crashed Mantis gunship sticking up at an angle.

"Stay here, boys" Anderson said. "We'll get you out of here."

He and Shepard then lifted the long rubble, letting the medic pull his squadmate free, and then dropped it so it formed a bridge across the water. They hurried across, moving around the rubble, and up ahead was a trio of Cannibals; Shepard sent them for a swim with a Biotic Chain-Shockwave. The duo hurried along, with Shepard blasting a lone Cannibal with an Incinerate when it tried to ambush them. They soon reached the gunship, with Shepard grabbing an M8 Avenger assault rifle from amongst the debris while Anderson hurried over to the radio.

"_Normandy_, this is Anderson. Do you read?"

"_Admiral, what's your location?_" Ashley asked.

"By a downed gunship in the harbor. I'm activating its distress beacon. Sent support; we've got wounded down here."

Ashley's next reply was garbled and distorted, and soon the signal was lost entirely.

"Let's hope that beacon does its job" Anderson remarked. "And fast; we've got company!"

(MUSIC: "Waiting for Pickup" (to 0:58))

Several Reaper drop-pods came down across a field of wreckage, deploying a large amount of Cannibals which quickly opened fire on Shepard & Anderson. Shepard deployed a Combat Drone as he & Anderson took cover, the little construct using the upgrade he recently installed into it to fire Incinerate blasts at the Cannibals. Shepard chipped in with the Avenger rifle, gunning down Cannibals or flushing them into Anderson's line of fire. He tossed out a Singularity, and Anderson quickly dealt with the three Cannibals that were lifted up by it.

Another wave of Cannibals dropped in, a few of them firing grenades at the two men. As Anderson scrambled out of the way, Shepard formed a Biotic Barrier-Shell around himself to withstand the blasts, and then launched the energy as a Shockwave that bowled two Cannibals over. He and his Combat Drone fired Incinerate blasts at the launchers, taking them out, while Anderson threw a frag grenade that killed three more Cannibals.

Over the next few minutes, Anderson and Shepard threw everything they had at the never-ending waves of Cannibals. Shepard had already exhausted almost all of his ammo, and was getting a bit tired from the Biotics usage as well.

"This is Commander Shepard to anyone in range!" he radioed. "We're low on ammo and pinned by a crap-load of Batarian Husks! We could use the cavalry right about now!"

"_Cavalry's here, gentlemen!_" Joker announced.

(0:58 to END)

The _Normandy-II _swooped in, firing a barrage of rockets that wiped out most of the attacking Reaper ground forces. The majestic 170-meter vessel, now wearing Alliance blue colors, swung around, hovering low over the battlefield and heading towards a 'platform' of rubble that stuck higher up than the surrounding areas. Shepard and Anderson ran for it as the ventral door opened, allowing Ashley, James, and a Quarian in red and silver armor-suit – Kal'Reegar – to open fire on a pack of Husks trying to intercept Shepard's path. Shepard made a running jump, landing on the outstretched 'ramp' of the ship's hatch.

"Welcome back, Shepard" Ashley said.

"Last time we were in this kinda situation, Commander," Kal remarked, "our positions were reversed."

"Shepard!"

Anderson came to a stop on top of the rubble 'platform'.

"Come on!" Shepard called to him.

Anderson looked up as an Alliance Kodiak shuttle flew overhead, the door briefly opening as two soldiers looked out at him. He turned back to Shepard.

"I'm not coming with you" he said. "You saw those men back there. There's a million more like them, and they need a leader."

"We're in this fight together, Anderson."

"It's a fight we can't win. Not without help. We need every species and every ship to even have a chance at defeating the Reapers. Talk to the Council. Convince them to help us."

"What if they won't listen?"

"Then _make_ them listen! Now go! That's an order! You know what must be done."

"…I'll be back for you! And I'll bring every fleet I can! …Good luck."

"You too, Shepard."

(MUSIC: _ME3 _– "Leaving Earth")

As the _Normandy II_ began to rise, its hatch still open, a trio of Alliance shuttles set down in a nearby courtyard, and refugees piled in. Shepard looked down, and saw the little boy from earlier, looking up at him. Suddenly, the boy flinched as a bass sound accompanied a 160-meter-tall, quadrupedal 'Destroyer'-class Reaper stomping onto the scene, its eye/cannon glowing red with charging energy. The boy stared up in stunned horror for a few seconds, and then scrambled into a nearby shuttle. He looked up at Shepard again as the door closed, and the shuttle, along with a second one, took off.

The Reaper casually, coldly focused its gaze and fired a sweeping crimson laser, slicing the second shuttle in two before it even got 100 meters off the ground. The first shuttle, the one with the boy, made it a little farther before a follow-up shot blew it to bits; the Destroyer then turned its gaze downward and began vaporizing the Alliance marines feebly trying to fire up at it. Shepard closed his eyes and looked away, as the hatch closed.

The _Normandy II_, got a bit more altitude over the burning city, before its thrusters kicked in and it shot up into the sky, leaving behind a swarm of Reapers systematically butchering the entire city. As they got into orbit, they saw as more cities across the entire planet burned, and the world was now orbited by the burnt, mangled wreckage of dozens of Alliance ships, some of them already beginning to fall into the atmosphere, as more Reapers descended to ravage the world. In a flash of blue, the stealth-attack frigate jumped out, leaving behind a world of wreckage and death.

**BOOK 27 - INVASION**

**-****_CHAPTER END_****-**

And so ends the beginning. Next time, we head to Mars and the Citadel, and maybe have a look at how some of the other worlds are doing.


	2. The Red Planet's Secrets

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Realm ME-N7 – Sol System**

**Systems Alliance Stealth-Attack Frigate ****_Normandy II _****– Deck 5 (Hangar)**

As Ashley and Kal stood over a table, looking over weapons and armor, Shepard was walking toward them with a rather unhappy James following him.

"What the hell's going on?" James asked. "Where's Anderson? Where're we going? …Hey!"

"We're leaving" Shepard replied as he came up to one of the terminals.

"Leaving?-!"

"What's going on?" Ash asked.

"Anderson wants us to go to the Citadel," Shepard replied, "get help for the fight."

"Bullshit" James said. "He wouldn't order us to leave."

Shepard turned to him. "We don't have a choice" he told the man. "Without help, this war's already over."

"Forget it! Drop me off someplace, 'cause I'm not lea-"

"Enough!" Shepard snapped, staring Vega down. "Don't you think I'd rather stay and fight? We're going to the Citadel. If you want out, you can catch a ride back from there."

"_Keelah_…" Kal murmured. "We knew it would be bad, but that was straight out of a nightmare. I hope my people back in the Tikkun system are ready…"

"_Commander_" a familiar voice said over the intercom.

"Joker?" Shepard responded.

"_Alive and kicking. Got an emergency transmission for Admiral Hackett for you._"

"Patch it through" Shepard keyed in the console. A few seconds later, Admiral Steven Hackett appeared on-screen; his image was static-filled and distorted, and his voice was broken up in parts, a sign of the poor transmission.

"_Shepard, we've sustained heavy losses_" he said. "_{STATIC}_ _force was overwhelming. {STATIC} no way we can defeat them conventionally._"

"Anderson's already ordered me to the Citadel, to talk to the Council."

"_First, I need you to {STATIC}iance outpost on Mars {STATIC}fore we lose control of the system._"

"…Yes, sir."

"_{STATIC} been researching the Prothean archives with Dr. T'Soni. She found a way to stop the Reapers; maybe the __**only**__ way to stop them. {STATIC} in contact soon. Hackett out._"

The transmission ended.

"Joker, set a course for the Mars Archives" Shepard ordered as he headed over to the armory section.

"_Mars? Uh, roger that._"

"This is _loco_…" James remarked.

"Why Mars?" Ashley wondered. "What does he think we'll find there?"

"I don't know," Shepard replied, "but if it helps us win this war…"

**-****_SCENE BREAK_****-**

**Sol System – Orbit over Mars**

The _Normandy II _emerged from its short FTL jump, its stealth systems running at peak capacity, and its ventral hatch opened to release a UT-47 'Kodiak' shuttle that began its descent towards the planet with Shepard, James, Ashley, and Kal'Reegar onboard, the latter piloting.

"_I've been trying to reach Mars on secure channels_" Joker radioed. "_No-one's answering._"

"Any sign of Reaper activity?" Shepard asked.

"_Negative._"

"EDI?"

"_The base appears to be online_" the AI responded. "_It is possible the inhabitants were evacuated._"

"We'll know soon enough. Be ready, Joker… just in case."

"_Roger that. _Normandy_ out._"

"How's the Kodiak treating you, Kal?"

"Flies like a brick, Commander," the Quarian soldier replied, "but I can handle her no problem. Remind me to tell ya about the time I safely landed a four-engine VTOL with only one working engine. …We're almost there."

The shuttle flew in towards the sizable Alliance base constructed around and over the Prothean ruins that had allowed the humanity of this realm to reach for the stars. The craft set down and parked on a rocky plateau.

"Still no contact from the base," James reported as the three humans donned their hazardous-environment armor and Kal checked his suit's seals, "but we've got a massive storm headed our way."

"How long 'til it hits?" Shepard asked.

"Half-hour, tops. After that, we're gonna have difficulty keeping up comms with the _Normandy_."

The quartet stepped out onto the red Martian soil, locking the shuttle behind them. Ashley was armed with an M8 Avenger assault rifle and an M90 Indra sniper rifle; James had an M15 Vindicator battle-tifle and an M27 Scimitar shotgun; Kal carried an M22 Eviscerator shotgun, an M8 Avenger, and an M6 Carnifex pistol; and Shepard had N7-series weapons – an Eagle pistol, Hurricane SMG, and Valiant sniper rifle. They walked on, past an array of solar panels.

"Damn, that's a huge storm" James said as he looked out at the _massive_ dust storm off in the distance, slowly getting closer. "Looks a lot bigger in person."

"Come on, Lieutenant" Ashley replied. "It's not that bad."

"Doesn't mean it can't kill us."

"I'm more worried about the war back on Earth… or the fact that nobody here is reporting in."

"Fair enough."

As the quartet continued on and hopped down a short jump, they found the body of an Alliance marine leaning against a boulder; Ashley knelt down to check it out.

"Alliance," she said, "Sergeant Reeves. Doesn't look like he put up a fight."

"Somethin's not right here…" James said.

Suddenly, they heard a deep 'crack' from up ahead. The quartet quietly moved forward, taking position behind some low rocks, and looked ahead. A half-dozen soldiers in white, black, and gold armor were standing near a few vehicles, and over a few bodies. One man in Alliance colors was kneeling down, hands on the back of his head; one of the mysterious soldiers pulled out his pistol, held it to the prisoner's head, and pulled the trigger.

"Damn!" Shepard said. "Pick targets and take 'em out!"

Shepard and Ashley used their Valiant and Indra to pick off two of the enemy soldiers right off the bat, and immediately the four remaining dove for cover, returning fire. Kal'Reegar fired a Carnage shot that blew one's chest open, while James headshot another with his Vindicator. Shepard hit the last two with a Biotic Pull, hoisting them into the air for Ashley's Avenger to gun down. The team moved up, inspecting the bodies.

"This stylized yellow-diamond symbol…" Kal pointed out. "It's Cerberus."

"You sure?" James asked.

"After what happened to the _Idenna_, every Quarian in the galaxy knows who Cerberus is. No question about it; this is them. It looks like they've upgraded their hardware."

"What're they doing here on Mars?" Ashley wondered.

"Good question" Shepard replied.

"You don't know?"

"I'm not with them anymore, Ash, if that's what you're asking."

The group moved forward, up a hill, and came across another pack of Cerberus soldiers and their transports. The Cerberus soldiers immediately opened fire, and Team Shepard took cover. Shepard sent out a Combat Drone, which blasted one Cerberus Trooper with an Incinerate shot and zapped another, leaving him vulnerable to a shotgun blast from Kal. James and Ashley used their rifles to pick off a few more, while Shepard used his N7 Hurricane to pick off the stragglers.

"Doesn't look like they came here in force" James observed.

"Yeah," Shepard replied, "just a few vehicles."

"Kind of suggests they had help" Ashley said. "From the inside. You'd need a lot of men and firepower to take this place otherwise."

The team headed across the way and into the elevator room, the door sealing shut behind them. As Shepard worked on the elevator terminal, Ashley came up to him.

"I need a straight answer, Shepard" she said. "Do you know anything about this? What Cerberus might be doing here?"

"What makes you think _I_ know what they're up to?"

"You worked with them. How am I supposed to believe you've cut all ties?"

"We joined forces to take down the Collectors. That's it."

"They rebuilt you; they gave you a ship, resources…"

"Let me be clear: I've had no contact with Cerberus since I destroyed the Collector Base. The Illusive Man didn't exactly approve of me doing that. And I have no idea why they're here now or what they want."

"Commander Shepard's been busy almost nonstop helping train people and set up preparations for the Reapers" James chimed in. "For all the good _that_ did…" he mumbled.

Ashley sighed. "Sorry, Jason, I just…"

Air flooded into the room, normalizing the atmosphere. The three humans removed their helmets.

"I shouldn't have to explain myself to you, Ash" Shepard said.

The elevator moved up, carrying the team up into the hangar.

"Please…" Shepard said. "Trust me."

"I do" Ashley replied. "It's just that-"

Suddenly there was a series of loud thuds from an overhead ventilation duct – people moving through, along with a few gunshots inside. Everyone got into cover, readying weapons. A few seconds later, a ventilation grate overhead across the hangar was kicked off from within, allowing two people to drop out: a young-adult Asari in a white light-armored suit, and a human girl in dull-green armor that had the Greek letter 'Sigma' and the number 6 on the chestplate, with green hair. As the two leapt down onto the floor, a pair of Cerberus Troopers tried to follow, their bulky armor slowing the exodus from the ventilation shaft. The Asari took the opportunity to toss out a Singularity that snatched up the two hostiles just as they got free, hoisting them into the air; she then pulled out her Predator pistol and took them down with one shot each. As they landed on the floor, she walked over and performed a double-tap for each to finish them both off.

Team Shepard moved out of cover, most holstering their weapons; James had his rifle ready, but Shepard pushed it down.

"Easy there, Lieutenant" he told James. "They're with us."

"Shepard!" Liara called out as she saw him. "Thank the Goddess you're alive! I was so worried when the reports came in. They hit Earth hard?"

"Yeah" Ashley said as she walked up. "It was… difficult to leave."

"Ashley… I'm sorry."

"And what brings you here, Sigma-6?" Shepard asked Asa.

"I've been helping Dr. T'Soni with a few things" the green-haired girl replied. She grinned. "I'm hoping you won't make me hold up a one-way barrier through a Seeker-infested tunnel this time?"

"We'll see" Shepard replied with a grin.

"In any case," Liara asked, "why did you all come here?"

"Hackett ordered us to come," Shepard replied, "said you'd know what was going on."

"I do" Liara replied, walking over to a window overlooking other parts of the base.

"Hallelujah," James said, "finally some answers."

"Maybe" Asa replied. "Dr. T'Soni has discovered plans for a Prothean device, one that _could_ wipe out the Reapers."

"Here on Mars?" Shepard asked.

"In the Prothean Archives, yes" Liara replied.

"We've known about the Archives for decades. Why now?"

"Process of elimination, mixed with a little desperation. When you destroyed the Alpha Relay, you bought us some time. But then you were stuck with a full workload on Earth. I knew I had to do something. Hackett knew it, too. He contacted me, asking if I would use my resources as the Shadow Broker to find a way to stop the Reapers. My search led me here. Hackett got me access to the Archives and kept me updated on you. Three days ago, Shigure here was sent by the DDF to give me a little extra help. …I meant to come see you, but…"

"We both had a whole lot of important things to do. There wasn't much I could do to help you, anyway."

"I suppose you're right. In any case, my work paid off. The Archives are full of useful data – an overwhelming amount. I think I found what we need."

"I guess I'll believe it when I see it. Where do we find this weapon?"

"It's not a weapon; not yet, anyway. It's plans for a device – a blueprint."

"It's more than we had a minute ago. How do we get it?"

"The Archives are just across that tramway," she pointed out the window at a rectangular tube-structure connecting two of the base's buildings, "assuming Cerberus hasn't locked it down."

"What are they after?"

"Yeah, they seemed hell-bent on catching you" James chimed in.

"They want what I'm here for," Liara replied, "what we're _all_ here for."

"But why?" Shepard asked.

"The Protheans came close to defeating the Reapers. They had plans to destroy them, but ran out of time."

"And anything powerful enough to destroy Reapers…" Ashley started.

"…Just might be something Cerberus would be interested in" Shepard finished.

"So, that means it's a race to the Archives" Kal'Reegar observed.

Suddenly, there was a thud from up above. The sealed second-floor door now had sparks coming through it, as Cerberus began cutting their way in.

"We've got company" Shepard said.

"Bring it on" James readied his rifle.

"Not this time, James."

"What?"

"Get back to the shuttle. If Cerberus beats us to the Archives, I need you covering the exits."

"But-"

"_Now_, Lieutenant."

Vega frowned as he hurried over to the elevator, riding it down. The remaining five members of Team Shepard took cover, just as the upper door opened and Cerberus troops rushed through. Liara tossed out a Singularity, snatching up three of them, and Shepard & Ashley used the Eagle and Avenger to gun them down. More came out, and Liara pulled out the Geth Plasma SMG she'd requisitioned for this op, taking out another Cerberus Trooper. Asa used her COG M2 Lancer to head-shot a Trooper, and then she fired a bolt of specially-tuned magic that yanked another into the air, leaving him vulnerable to Kal'Reegar's assault rifle.

"Was that…?" Shepard started.

"This isn't the first time Shigure's worked with me" Liara said as she fired her Predator at the troopers. "We've been working on using her magic to emulate some of my Biotic abilities. We're currently working on generating a magic-based Singularity, and after that… well, there's a trick of yours that I recently got the hang of…"

Kal fired a Concussive Shot that stunned and wounded a Cerberus Trooper, leaving the hostile exposed to a pistol shot from Shepard. Ashley's Avenger cut down two more, and two bullets from Asa's UNSC M6C sidearm took out the final one.

"That's all of them" Liara said. "Let's find a way up."

After a little looking around, Shepard found a vehicle lift with a truck on it, and made it go up, forming a bridge between a stack of crates and the second level.

"This is a secure station" Ash said. "How did Cerberus get in?"

"Not sure" Liara replied. "One minute we were getting reports of the Reaper invasion, and the next there was chaos. We didn't even realize it was Cerberus at first."

"Could they be working with the Reapers?"

"Doubtful," Shepard replied as he made it up, "but I suppose anything's possible."

They made it to the second-floor door and passed through, just in time to see an Alliance scientist take several high-caliber rounds from behind as he tried to run, going down. Shepard moved in and took cover behind some pipes, while the other four stayed back.

"We've done a sweep through the residence" a Cerberus Trooper reported. "Going to check on Able Squad; they're not reporting in."

Shepard quietly crawled into position, just on the other side of the pipes from a Trooper. Then, in a flash of movement, he lunged out and grabbed the Cerberus soldier, pulling him over and to the ground, and then formed his Omni-Blade and stabbed it through the hostile's skull. A moment later, Asa threw a frag grenade, killing two more Cerberus Troopers. The last one fell to a shotgun blast from Kal'Reegar. The group headed into the next room, a lounge with a security station on the side.

"We'll need access to the pedway" Liara said. "Controls should be nearby."

They headed into the security station, Ashley and Kal looking around while Shepard and Liara checked the consoles.

"Shepard, see if you can gain access to the pedway" Liara said as she got to work on one of the computers. "I can't seem to unlock the live feeds, but…"

"Hey, did you see that?" Ashley pointed at a screen playing a video clip. "Who's that woman in the vid?"

"That's Dr. Eva Coré; she got here about a week ago." She turned to Shepard. "Any luck?"

"Pedway's been locked out" Shepard replied.

Liara had a look at the screen. "All right, it looks like there's construction nearby. We can get out on the roof. We can find a way around from there".

She unlocked a door on the right side of the room, and the five moved through into an airlock. As Shepard and Ashley donned their helmets and triggered their suits' seals, and Kal'Reegar made sure his suit was vacuum-sealed as well, Liara and Asa each pressed a sequence of buttons on their Omnitools. Parts of their armor shifted, and new parts emerged, from spaces that couldn't have actually held them, to cover gaps, forming air-tight vacuum-rated seals, while sealed helmets emerged from subspace to cover their heads.

"New tech from Wheeljack" Asa explained to Shepard.

"Yes, the Autobots' inventor has been a bit busy lately" Liara said. "He can't yet make armor that _completely_ emerges from subspace, but he _can_ make it so it can switch between standard and hazardous-environment modes like what you just saw."

"That sounds useful" Shepard said as the airlock room started venting. "It'd be nice to not have to carry my helmet around."

They emerged from the lock out into the exterior of the base, and already the wind was fierce, the massive wall of dust and lightning now much nearer.

"Storm's getting closer" Ashley said. "Wait, what the hell?"

She pointed across the way to a pair of trams crossing the tramway, the two cars' occupants exchanging gunfire.

"Looks like the Alliance is still putting up a fight" Shepard observed.

"That tram heads to the Archives" Liara said. "Once Cerberus is across, they're at the final security checkpoint."

"_Commander, you read me?_" James contacted.

"Barely" Shepard replied. "Storm's causing interference."

"_Tell me about it; I've lost contact with the _Normandy. _What's your loc{STATIC}_"

"I didn't read that, James. Say again?"

"_I said, what's y{STATIC}_"

"Damn it…"

The group moved down a path, up a ladder, and across a gap. On the left was an open door.

"This airlock shouldn't be open" Asa said.

"Doesn't look like it was forced…" Ashley observed.

"No, you have to override security protocols" Liara replied.

The five headed in, turning their flashlights on as they entered a dark room… with suffocated bodies on the floor all over the place.

"Someone vented the air from this room while they were still here…" Liara observed, a bit of horror in her tone.

"Looks like they died trying to claw their way out" Ashley said.

"_Keelah_, this is brutal, even for Cerberus" Kal'Reegar chimed in.

As they moved into the cafeteria section, shutters over a few windows ahead began to lower. Everyone turned their lights off and hid behind tables or walls, peeking out as a fireteam of Cerberus Troopers was visible on the other side of the glass.

"Roger that" the Trooper fireteam leader said. "Delta Team out."

"What's our order?" another one asked.

"There's an Alliance force in here somewhere. We need to keep them away from the core. Check the next room."

"It's dark in there. Want me to shoot out the windows?"

"No! Not unless you want to decompress _this_ room, too."

"I don't see anyone…"

Deciding to get the jump on them, Shepard fired his N7 Valiant at the fireteam leader's head, the shot shattering the glass and punching through his skull. A split-second later, a headshot from Asa's Lancer took out the trooper he'd been talking to, while Liara and Ashley used the Geth Plasma SMG and Avenger rifle to take out the two remaining troopers. With the way clear, the team hopped through the now-broken window and moved to a security station off to the right. Liara got on the terminal, keying in a few commands, and the airlock door sealed shut and atmosphere was pumped into the room. After several seconds, a chime sounded.

"There we go" Liara said as she disengaged her armor's vacuum-seal mode, removing her helmet. "We have access to the labs. They'll take us right to the tram station."

"Hey, looks like there's a recording of what happened here" Ashley pointed out.

Shepard triggered a vid-screen, showing recorded footage from the computer's POV of an Alliance worker seated at the desk working on it, while a second man was visible in the background, focused on looking at readouts projected on the wall. Liara adjusted it so that every screen in the security station displayed the recording.

"_Security station… come in_" the security officer was saying. "_We're seeing some odd activity down here. Our security protocols just kicked in; everything's locked down._"

A woman – Dr. Eva Coré – walked in from the right on screen, the security officer briefly turning to acknowledge her presence.

"_Doctor, I'll get you a report as soon as-_"

Then, in a lightning-quick motion, Dr. Coré drew a heavy pistol and blew the man in the background's brains out at point-blank range. The officer at the desk turned around in shock just in time to catch a bullet between the eyes. Dr. Coré then moved to a console, hurriedly typing in commands. The recording switched to a ceiling-mounted camera in the cafeteria; an alarm was sounding, lights flashing red, as everyone in the room started gasping, clutching at their throats, and then collapsing to the floor.

"I guess we know how Cerberus got in" Shepard said.

"I should've realized it when I met her…" Liara said. "I was just so focused on finding a way to stop the Reapers."

"Stopping the Reapers is the _only_ thing we should be focused on. It's not your fault."

"But what if we're wrong? What if there's no way to stop them? What if these are our last days, and we spend them scurrying around trying to solve a problem that _can't_ be solved?"

"Come on, Liara…"

"I know; I shouldn't think that way. …I don't know how you do it. You've always stayed focused, even in the worst situations."

"When there's so much at stake, I just think about what I'd lose if I fail."

"That's a terrible burden."

"We'll stop them, Liara. Together."

"Thanks. I want to believe you…" She turned to a console, keying in a command, and a door on the far end of the room unlocked. "Okay, door's open. We can get to the labs and tram station through there."

"Good. Let's move."

The quintet moved through the door, into an area with a work-bench and a bunch of fallen crates, as well as a stairway leading up to a door. There was a datapad by the foot of the stairs:

"_From: Amelia Hatterson_

_To: Mike O'Sullivan_

_Hey, stupid-head!_

_I won't ask how you're doing, since I hear you guys are propagating germs in the shape of a cold down there in storage. Look, I know your Prothean doodads are fascinating and all, but you guys have got to stop burning the midnight oil and keep regular sleeping hours, honestly! Anyway, I forwarded your latest findings to HQ on Earth and SOMEONE IS DEPRESSURIZING THE AREA WARN SECURI_"

Shaking his head, Shepard led the team up the stairs and through the door. A few Cerberus troopers had their backs turned to Team Shepard down the hall.

"Why are we pulling back?" one asked.

"Sounds like the Alliance has sent reinforcements" another replied. "The doctor wants the Archives protected at all costs."

Shepard nodded to Kal'Reegar, who threw a frag grenade right into the Cerberus Troopers' midst. The blast killed two and stunned & wounded a third who was then hit by a Warp from Liara that finished him off. Ashley gunned down the lone survivor. Farther down the hall, two more Cerberus soldiers emerged, slowly walking behind huge thick metal shields, carrying small shotguns in their free hands – Guardians. Shepard took aim with his Valiant, and fired a shot right through the little slot that the left-hand Guardian to see through the shield, blowing his brains out. Asa used her magic to emulate a Pull attack, ripping the other Guardian's shield out of his hands, and then took him out with her Lancer's fire. As the group moved up, they found a datapad on a desk:

"_From: Faiza Haikal Tkele_

_To: Sandoval Fletcher_

_Yeah, I know. Two external specialists in the same week is insane. But Hudson, I've heard about the Asari before! She's really well-known, and she's done some amazing research on the Protheans. I don't know zip about that Dr. Eva chick, but Liara T'Soni? She's the real thing. I'm attaching some of her advanced papers on Prothean culture. Read 'em. You'll be a believer too when you're done. I can't wait until they introduce her to people. This is so exciting!_

_Faiza_"

"Sounds like you had a fan, Liara" Shepard said.

They moved ahead and rounded the corner left, encountering three more Cerberus Troopers; Kal'Reegar took out two of them with his shotgun, and Shepard's N7 Hurricane killed the third. The door up ahead opened, revealing the area to be a single very long hallway divided by doors at a few points, and more Cerberus troops poured in. The leader – a 'Centurion' – had more advanced-looking armor that carried the telltale faint shimmer of an active energy shield; a single Overload from Shepard stripped the Centurion's shields, and Ashley gunned him down. Liara tossed out a Singularity that snatched the baseline Troopers up, and a Carnage shot from Kal took care of them.

The next door opened to reveal more Troopers and another Guardian pair; Shepard used a Singularity to render the Guardians helpless, and then a Warp to destabilize the energy for a powerful explosion that killed them and a Trooper who was too close. Ashley used her Indra to pick off a few more Troopers, with Asa's Lancer taking the last. The few remaining Troopers retreated, sealing the door ahead behind them, and Team Shepard moved into the next lab.

"What's that smell?" Ashley said.

"Burnt flesh" Kal'Reegar replied, looking through the window into the side room, where orange 'panes' of light and energy swept back and forth through the room, which had two burnt corpses inside. "They activated the decontamination protocols."

"With the staff still inside…"

Shepard walked up to the clean-room control console, watching the energy fields sweeping through the room. When they were at their widest point, he 'paused' them, leaving a clear path to the door on the far wall inside. The group entered, looking at the various objects on tables and trying not to touch the glowing orange energy or the carbonized bodies.

"This is where they studied the various relics unearthed here" Liara said.

"What did they find?" Shepard asked.

"More than I could describe in a short conversation. And they'd only scratched the surface. There are vaults filled with Prothean data troves that have never been studied."

They passed through, into a hallway that would lead them to the tram station. They went left, rounded a corner, and came to the door that led to the station… and, suspended from the ceiling of the tram station room, looking at the group down a long hallway, was an automated heavy turret. The five immediately took cover as it opened fire, hiding behind crates or partitions.

"Is that the only way in?" Ashley asked.

"It's the only way I know of" Liara replied.

"We'll skirt around it" Shepard said. "Stay out of its sights."

Ashley moved up first, the heavy turret firing a bit too late, after she'd already gotten into cover. The team proceeded to leap-frog their way forward, moving from cover to cover down the hall and into the main room. Once in the room, they moved left toward the door to the security station, and once they got close they were safely out of the turret's horizontal traversal range, and it stopped firing.

The security station had a squad of Cerberus Troopers led by a Centurion. Kal hit the Centurion with an Overload, stripping his shields, and Shepard & Ashley tossed grenades in, killing all but two of the hostiles. Shepard then moved in and used his N7 Eagle to finish them off, clearing the security station. Everyone filed in, and Shepard moved to the central terminal, activating the camera feed from the other tram station, where Dr. Coré was ordering Cerberus troops around.

"_Set up a perimeter_" she said. "_No-one else comes across._"

"_We still have teams on the other side…_" a Trooper replied.

"_No one! And shut down those cameras!_"

She pulled out her pistol and shot the camera, cutting Team Shepard's view of what was going on over there.

"Looks like they've made it to the Archives" Liara said.

"And it looks like they won't be sending a tram anytime soon" Ashley added.

"Can you override it?" Shepard asked.

Liara checked the console, and then shook her head. "No, the Archives are on a separate network. We're completely locked out."

"Not completely" Ashley said. "What if we could find a short-range transmitter – helmet-to-helmet?"

"And…?" Shepard said.

"And then we convince them we're with them and the Alliance forces have been taken care of."

"Good idea. See what you can find."

Ashley nodded and headed out the other door. Shepard caught Liara staring.

"What?"

"The lieutenant-commander has become very… capable" Liara remarked.

"That she has…"

"Shepard! I found something!"

As Reegar and Asa helped Liara and looked around the security office, Shepard moved out to Ashley, who was kneeling by a dead Cerberus Trooper.

"What've you got?" Shepard asked.

"He's got a transmitter in his helmet" she replied. "If I can…"

She pressed something, and the front of the helmet opened… and Ashley gasped in horror and disgust; the dead man's eyes glowed an eerie whitish-blue, with glowing lines extending up and down from the on his face.

"Oh God… He looks like a Husk."

"Yeah, not quite" Shepard said. "But they've definitely done something to him." He started reaching around inside the helmet.

"Engineered? By Cerberus? They _claim_ to stand for humanity, and they do _this_ to their own people. …That could've been _you_, Shepard. For all I knew, that's what Cerberus had done to you."

"How can you compare me to _that_ thing?"

"Is it really you in there? Do you even know? I mean, could they be controlling you?"

"That's not fair, Ash…"

"I'm just talking out loud. I doubt there's anything you could say to convince me. I guess… I just need some time to get to know you again."

"I'm the same person I always was, Ash. Time won't change that. But if that's what you need, I understand."

"Thanks… for understanding."

Shepard looked at the transmitter he'd picked out of the Cerberus Trooper's helmet. "Let's see if we can get that tram sent over here." He activated and spoke into it. "Hello. This is… Delta Team. Anybody there?"

"_Where the hell have you been?_" a Cerberus Trooper replied. "_Never mind. What's your status?_"

"We're at the tram station, waiting for extraction; all hostiles terminated."

"_Roger that. Echo Team will ride over and secure the station._"

"…Think they bought it?" Ashley asked.

"If they didn't, they'll figure it out soon enough" Shepard replied.

"We should get in position; flank them when they get off the tram."

"Good thinking, LC."

Liara, Kal, and Asa came out of the security station, reacting when they saw the unmasked Cerberus trooper.

"If they do _that_ to their own people," Kal'Reegar said, "what the hell might they do to _us_?"

"Let's not find out" Asa replied.

Everyone took cover behind crates down below, while Shepard stayed up top with his N7 Valiant ready. Soon the tram arrived, dropping off a sizable force of Cerberus soldiers, all armed and ready; apparently they _hadn't_ fallen for the ruse. Unfortunately for them, Team Shepard was a much fiercer opponent than they'd expected; Shepard sniped a Centurion, while Liara tossed out a Singularity that grabbed a Guardian and two Troopers, leaving them easy pickings for Ashley and Kal's assault rifles. Asa shot another Guardian in the foot, making him stagger, fired another couple rounds into his thusly-exposed arm, and a few more to his head. Shepard sniped the last few Troopers, and then he and the rest of the team headed down and into the tram, setting it forward as everyone donned their helmets.

"Storm's getting bad" Shepard said as the tram moved smoothly through the very rough and dusty winds. "We'd better wrap this up quickly."

"The archives are right on the other side" Liara said.

"That and a squad of pissed-off Cerberus troops" Ashley added.

Suddenly, everyone was thrown forward as an explosive detonated on the rail right in front of the tram, bringing it to an immediate halt. Up ahead, the doors of the Archives tram station opened, and another tram full of Cerberus soldiers started down the other track toward Team Shepard's, its occupants already firing at them. Shepard sent out a Combat Drone which spawned right inside the enemy tram, flitting about and using its shocker to wound the Cerberus troops. The enemy tram pulled up to a stop right across from Team Shepard's, and Kal & Asa leapt across, using his shotgun and her heavy pistol to quickly take out the enemies. They waved the others over, and Shepard, Ash, & Liara jumped across, Liara starting the tram going back to the Archives station.

"They put up a good fight" Ashley remarked.

"It confirms my assertions about the value of the data stored here" Liara replied.

The tram completed its journey, the doors closing behind it, and the sizable force of Cerberus troops in the station opened fire. Shepard and Ashley used the Valiant and Indra to start picking some of them off, Liara tossed out a Singularity to snatch up two Guardians and then a Warp to detonate it and kill them, Asa used a magic-based 'Pull' attack to hoist a Trooper into the air and then gun him down, and Kal'Reegar zapped a Centurion's shields with Overload and then took him out with AR fire. Shepard then moved in, drawing his N7 Eagle and putting it to good use against Troopers, while also using an Overload/headshot combo to take out another Centurion. Finally, the room was clear.

The quintet moved around the security station in the room's middle and stacked up by the door to the Archives. At Shepard's signal, Liara got the door, and everyone moved in, weapons ready, only to find no adversaries waiting for them. The large chamber had a circular catwalk, and in the center, surrounded by protective glass, was the obelisk-like Prothean artifact that had given humanity the knowledge and tech needed to take to the stars.

"Ash…" Shepard said.

The Alliance marine nodded, commencing a sweep of the room. Kal stood guard by the exit, as Shepard, Liara, and Asa walked up to the terminal overlooking the artifact, taking their helmets off. As they looked up at it, they suddenly heart the shimmering sound of an activating hologram, followed by a voice right behind them.

"_Shepard…_"

The blue-tinted hologram of a man with graying hair, a well-pressed suit, and glowing cybernetic eyes, holding a cigarette between his fingers, stared them down. The trio turned to face him, a scowl forming on Shepard's face.

"Illusive Man…" he said.

"_Fascinating race, the Protheans. They left all this for us to discover, but we've squandered it. The Alliance has known about the Archives for more than 30 years, and what have they done with it?_"

"What do you want?" Shepard asked.

The Illusive Man('s hologram) looked up at the Prothean construct. "_What I've __always__ wanted. The data in these artifacts holds the key to solving the Reaper threat._"

"I've seen your 'solution'. Your people are turned into monsters."

"_Hardly. They're being improved._"

"Improved?"

"_That's what separates us, Shepard: where you see a means to destroy, I see a way to control – to dominate and harness the Reapers' power. Imagine how strong humanity would be if we controlled them._"

"Earth is under siege, and you're hatching a scheme to control the Reapers?"

"_You've always been shortsighted, hasty… Your destruction of the Collector Base proved that._"

"That base was an abomination. Hundreds of thousands of humans were murdered there."

"_…This isn't your fight anymore, Shepard. You can't defeat the Reapers, even with the Prothean data._"

"Work with me. Give me control over your resources, and I'll stop them."

"_You'd do better than most, but the odds aren't in your favor. More importantly, I don't want the Reapers destroyed. We can dominate them, use their power, harness their very essence to bring humanity to the apex of evolution._"

"You've gone too far. The Reapers will kill us all if we don't stop fighting each other!"

"_I don't expect you to understand, Shepard. And I'm certainly not looking for your approval. …You were a tool, an agent with a singular purpose. And despite our differences, you were relatively successful._" He glanced at something or someone off-screen on his end, and then turned back to Shepard. "_But like the rest of the relics in this place, your time is over._"

"Enough talk. Liara…"

The young Asari nodded, getting to work on the console.

"_Don't interfere with my plans, Shepard. I won't warn you again._"

"Duly noted."

"Shepard!" Liara called out.

"What?"

"The data's not here. …It's being erased."

"_Goodbye, Shepard._"

The communication was ended, as Liara continued to try and figure out what was going on.

"Damn it" Shepard cursed. "How's he doing it?"

"It's local. Someone's uploading the information."

Meanwhile, Ashley was finishing her circle-sweep of the room, when she came across a small walled-in workstation. Inside, the terminal was being interacted with by none other than Dr. Eva Coré.

"Hey!" Ashley pointed her Avenger. "Step away from the console." The woman didn't move. "Now!"

Suddenly, as Ash took a step closer, Coré spun with an elbow to Ashley's (still helmeted) face, followed by a roundhouse kick that knocked her to the floor. Coré then jammed her Omnitool into the console, and the Prothean artifact's lights went out.

"She's got the data!" Ashley shouted.

Dr. Coré took off sprinting toward the door. She let her kinetic barriers take Kal'Reegar's shots, and then swatted him aside as she passed through, with Shepard in hot pursuit and everyone else following. She fired an Incinerate at Shepard, who rolled under it and kept moving. She went left, up the ladder to the roof, and everyone followed.

"She's not even wearing a suit?-!" Ashley said, incredulous.

"She's gotta be a synthetic!" Kal'Reegar replied. "An 'Infiltrator' unit, most likely!"

Hearing that, Shepard fired an Overload, but Dr. Coré's shields withstood it, and she fired another Incinerate to keep him back. As they ran across the roof, a Cerberus shuttle flew by, two troopers firing at Team Shepard as they moved, only for Asa to hit them with a concussive blast of magic that knocked them back and almost knocked the shuttle out of the air. Shepard mantled over a stack of crates the Coré knocked over into his path, and followed her down into another pathway.

"James, you read me?-!" he radioed. "Cerberus has the data!"

Vega's reply was incomprehensibly garbled by the interference from the Martian dust storm.

"Radio the _Normandy_! Get them down here now!"

He climbed up onto the next rooftop, sprinting in pursuit, but Dr. Coré pulled ahead, rushing for a waiting Cerberus shuttle. She leapt inside, and the shuttle began to take off.

"Damn it! James! _Normandy_! Anybody!"

Suddenly, the Alliance shuttle flew in at high speed from the left…

"_I got this one!_"

"Oh, don't tell me he's going to-"

…and t-boned the Cerberus shuttle, knocking it out of the air. The hostile shuttle sailed low over Team Shepard's heads and crashed down onto the roof, parts coming loose and flames spewing from the craft. Seconds later, the Alliance shuttle unsteadily flew in, setting down fairly hard but not dangerously so.

"That was the second-craziest thing I've ever seen someone do with a shuttle!" Kal'Reegar said. "Points off for finesse, Vega, but great timing!"

"What's the craziest?" Ashley asked as she helped Asa to her feet.

"I'll tell ya later. It involved a Volus, an upsized eezo core, and a pack of angry varren."

The shuttle's door slid open, and James – helmet on – stepped out.

"The _Normandy_'s en route" he said. "They'll be here soon."

On the other side of the shuttle, Ashley was helping Liara – whose leg had been clipped by shrapnel, not tearing the suit but hitting hard enough to leave a bruise – over toward the shuttle when suddenly both women heard banging from inside the burning Cerberus craft. The door was kicked off from within, and Eva Coré walked out; her artificial epidermis had been burned away, revealing the synthetic body beneath. Ashley shoved Liara aside and drew her pistol, firing as the gyndroid charged, but the machine ignored the few rounds that hit it and grabbed Ashley by the skull, lifting her off the ground. The others drew their weapons, but they couldn't get a clear shot. Coré held a finger to the side of her head as she contacted her master.

"Orders?" she asked.

"_Dispose of her._"

The robot assassin nodded, and then turned and slammed Ashley's head into the burning shuttle's side as hard as she could. She pulled back and did it again, Ashley's helmet warping and cracking (mercifully, the vacuum seal held). Then she tossed the now-unconscious Lieutenant-Commander aside and charged at Shepard. Shepard fired several rounds from his Eagle, and finally he hit something vital; the hostile synthetic stumbled and fell, inert and offline After taking a few seconds just in case it got up again, Shepard ran past it toward Ashley.

"Grab that thing," he ordered, "take it with us."

James and Kal'Reegar moved to pick up the disabled synthetic, as Shepard and Liara ran to Ashley's side.

"_Shepard, we've got Reaper signatures in orbit!_" Joker radioed.

Shepard knelt down and picked Ashley up, carrying her limp armored form as the _Normandy II_ flew in, hovering over the roof with its ventral hatch down and waiting. Everyone hurried in, and the stealth-attack frigate took off just as half a dozen Reaper Destroyers landed in the surrounding area, zooming up into space and FTL-jumping out.

**-****_SCENE BREAK_****-**

**_Normandy II _****– Deck Three, Med-Bay**

Shepard carefully sat Ashley down on one of the beds, removing her helmet; she was unconscious, her breathing irregular, and her head and face were badly bruised. Across the bay, James unceremoniously dumped the inert body of Eva Coré on another table. Liara, Asa, and Kal moved to check Ashley out.

"Commander," the Quarian said, "it's bad. We don't have the resources aboard to treat her. I know it hurts leaving Earth, but we've gotta get out of the Sol System, get her to a hospital on the Citadel."

"…Get us to the Citadel, Joker" Shepard said.

"_Roger that._"

"Do what you can for her," he told the three, "and then see what you and EDI can learn from that thing" he gestured to the Cerberus synthetic.

"_Commander,_" EDI announced, "_I'm receiving a signal over the secondary QEC. I believe it's Admiral Hackett._"

"Patch me through" he took off running for the elevator.

"_I'll forward it to the comm. room._"

-_Break_-

**Deck Two – War Room – Quantum Entanglement Communicator section**

Admiral Hackett's hologram was wavering, the audio distorted.

"EDI, can you clear this up?" Shepard asked.

"I'll do my best" the AI replied.

The picture stabilized, and Hackett's voice came through loud and clear.

"_Did you get to the Archives?_" he asked.

"I was there" Shepard replied. "So was the Illusive Man. His people killed everyone else there."

"_I was worried Cerberus might try something… Did you get the data?_"

"Most of it. He downloaded some before I could stop him. EDI and Liara are analyzing what we recovered."

At this point, Liara walked in, standing beside Shepard. Hackett looked to her.

"_What have you learned? Was it worth the effort?_"

"Preliminary evidence suggests the data is a blueprint for a Prothean device" she replied.

"_Device?_"

Liara keyed her Omnitool, and a hologram of the blueprints appeared beside Hackett.

"A weapon, massive in size and scope, that's capable of unquantifiable levels of destruction."

Hackett looked it over for a few seconds. "_Send me the data. We'll do our own analysis. If Liara's instincts are right, this might be the key to stopping the Reapers._"

"I hope so" Shepard replied as Liara sent the data and walked away, back into the War Room. "Lieutenant-Commander Williams has been badly injured. We're taking her to the Citadel."

"_I'm sorry to hear that, Shepard. But we both know this is just the beginning. Talk to the Council; show them what you've found. With luck, they'll give you all the support you need._"

"And if they don't?"

"_Do whatever it takes to get them on board._"

"Yes, sir. What about the Dimensional Defense Force?"

"_Some of their ships & people are here helping in what ways they can, but… they've got their own problems._"

"Is it Amon making his move?"

"_No, but it's just as bad. The Reapers have somehow managed to force open a few warp-rifts, and they're using the gateways to hit six DDF planets __**outside**__ our realm._"

"Which ones?"

Hackett consulted a datapad. "_Cybertron, Sanghelios, Midchilda, Lucavos, Equestria, and Shakuras._"

"This just gets worse and worse… How are they holding up?"

"_Equestria's not being hit by as many Reapers as the others, but they're still in big trouble; reports suggest a Command-subtype Reaper, one of Sovereign's class, is overseeing the attack on that world. The COG and the UNSC garrison there are doing their best to help the locals beat back the fires, but they're struggling. Midchilda and Lucavos are fighting back hard, but they've got a bigger number of Reapers hitting them; worse, there's another Command-subtype Reaper leading the invasion of Lucavos._

"_The Protoss are being hit by some nasty stuff, too, but their casualties haven't been as high as expected; they're adept at drone warfare and medi-vac via emergency teleportation. All the same, they need relief soon; there aren't that many Protoss left even without this whole debacle. Valerian Mengsk is mobilizing his Dominion's fleets now to try and help. Cybertron's putting up a fight, too; it helps that their people are immune to Reaper-hacking and can't be made into Husks, and they've got a whole lot of heavy defenses set up. But the Reapers are pushing them pretty hard. Thankfully they seem to be ignoring the Earth of that realm._"

"And the Sangheili?"

"_There's some hopeful news, for a change. It turns out that Sangheili ships are big enough, durable enough, with the right strength & type of energy shields and the right type of weapons that they're giving the Reapers a hell of a lot of trouble; their shields can handle Reaper weapons, and their plasma torpedoes and particle beams are making quite a few dead Reapers. Reports say that as of now, not a single Reaper has yet made planet-fall on Sanghelios; they can't get past the Sangheili fleets. The Sangheili ships are taking pretty big chunks out of the Reapers' numbers, and though they've lost some ships it's not very many, and it's mostly the smaller ones. …Damn shame there aren't anywhere near enough Sangheili ships to win us the whole war; those things are Reaper-killers, but there just aren't even close to enough of them to take on the entire Reaper Armada. If they can at least beat back the force of Reapers attacking their world and seal the hole they came in through, they'll be an invaluable asset. And speaking of help from that realm, the UNSC's MACs and nukes should be good for taking Reapers out, too, even though their navy hasn't yet recovered 100% from the Covenant War._"

"Here's hoping…"

"_We've received reports that all other member-states of the DDF are mobilizing as well, getting soldiers & ships ready to go. Things look dark, Shepard, but not pitch-black just yet. I'll be in touch soon, Commander. Hackett out._"

"Commander…" Liara spoke softly. "EDI is extracting data from the Cerberus machine. We'll have details to present to the Council by the time we reach the Citadel."

"And Ashley?"

"We've done what we can for her. She needs proper medical attention soon. …The Admiral's right. It's going to get worse, isn't it?"

"Yeah…"

"I've looked at the data. This weapon could be the answer… if we can build it. I get the sense you don't quite believe it, though."

Shepard leaned against the holographic mission-briefing table.

"You didn't see what they did to Earth" he said. "How is one weapon supposed to stop them?"

"What other options are there? You know we can't win this conventionally. …Isn't it worth trying, at least?"

"I'm gonna go check on Williams… Make sure we're ready to present our findings to the Council."

"I'm sure they'll see the need to help."

"It'll be a hell of a short war if they don't."

**-****_SCENE BREAK_****-**

**Equestria – Canterlot Castle**

Celestia looked out the balcony window at the two Reaper Destroyers attacking Canterlot, being fired at by multiple heavy defenses. Down in the streets below, soldiers of human and pony did battle against Husks made from the same; pegasus-husks flew through the air, and unicorn-husks fired bolts of electricity from their reshaped and mutated horns, while human- and earth pony-husks simply rushed at their targets and tried to beat them to death. The city's defenders were holding, but for how much longer? She winced as she saw a UNSC corvette plummeting from the sky in flames.

"Princess…" a voice spoke up behind her, soft and worried. "What do we do?"

The alicorn turned around to see the six Harmony-Element bearers and the other members of their 'inner circle'; they'd been here visiting the castle when the invasion hit. Thankfully, the Reapers hadn't yet paid much attention to sleepy little Ponyville, just a few minor Husk forces that were easily repulsed by the defending garrison. But who knew how long that would last…

"I… honestly don't know, Twilight" she replied. "Equestria has never been through anything like… _this_. I think all we can do is fight back as best we can, and hope the Dimensional Defense Force can send some heavy firepower to chase the Reapers off our world and seal the rift they've torn open. If not… I just don't know."

"Really, now? The great 'Princess Celestia' at a loss for ideas? Well, that's a first."

Everypony present gasped as they heard the familiar voice. Sure enough, a whirl of space and color signified the arrival of an entity who looked like a mishmash of various creatures.

"Hello again~!" Discord said in a jolly tone.

"Discord?-!" Twilight and the others took position, ready to fight. "What are you doing here?-! How are you free?"

"Oh come now, Twilight. All this chaos, the emotions running rampant around here… it weakened my seal enough for me to break free again."

"And now you plan to help the invaders sow chaos, am I correct?" Celestia scowled.

"What? Oh goodness, _no_! You see, these 'Reapers' actually seek to wipe out organic sapient life here. And without that life, there's no chaos, no change! They seek to eliminate the very thing I stand for! So of _course_ I'm going to help you people fight them; I have as much at stake here as you do!"

Everypony was shocked. "Really?" Twilight asked.

"Yes. Despite their chaotic methods, these beings seek absolute order – silent, ever-unchanging stillness, achieved via 'imposing order on the chaos of organic evolution'. And I just can't have that happen, now can I? Not only would it be _horrendously_ boring, but they'll almost certainly come after me whether or not I side with you or even with them. And I can't beat them alone; they're immune to most of my particular brand of magic, and they're big enough and durable enough that raw offensive spells will take an amount of time & effort that's just not worth cost-efficient for fighting the whole invasion force. I'll help you all in this little war, and after that… well, I'll think of something; I never really plan very far ahead – y'know, embodiment of chaos and all that."

Celestia and the Bearers looked to each other; they were a bit unsure about this, especially with the mess Discord made recently, but at the same time it seemed like he had as much at stake here as them, if not more, and he actually seemed sincere. Celestia nodded, and then turned to Discord.

"I've received reports of refugees stuck behind enemy lines, out near Baltimare. Can you get them out alive?"

"Right away, Celly!" Discord saluted, and then vanished in a teleport.

"I _hate_ it when he calls me that…" she grumbled.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: arriving at the Citadel


	3. Requesting Aid

Delay caused by having to work on a few other things before and during work on this chapter, as well as unexpected circumstances popping up.

I know things seem like a play-by-play of canon, but rest assured, things will start being different as we move further in – canon-death characters surviving, Team Shepard visiting some of the DDF worlds that are under attack, maybe a couple more 'new' squadmates besides Kal'Reegar, and something _big_ planned for the ending. Just hold on; it's a-coming.

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Realm ME-N7 – Serpent Nebula – Widow System**

**The Citadel – Docking Bay D24**

A group of EMTs hurried through the docks, two of them carrying a stretcher with Ashley Williams atop it.

"Barely got a pulse here" one reported.

"Alright, move 'em out" a Turian nurse said.

"Where are you taking her?" Shepard asked as he followed behind.

"Huerta Memorial," the Turian replied, "best care on the Citadel."

Team Shepard watched as Ashley was carted away, stopping by the large window overlooking the docks.

"We're not going with?" James asked.

"We need to see the Council." Liara replied.

James then noticed a man in a C-Sec uniform approaching. "Looks like they might be coming to see _us_" he said.

"Commander Shepard," the man said, "I got word you were arriving."

"Captain Bailey" Shepard shook his hand. "Good to see you again."

"You, too… though, it's 'Commander' Bailey now…"

"…Congratulations?"

"Thanks. Now, half my job is dealing with political bullshit and escorting dignitaries around. …No offense."

"None taken. So, you're here to bring us to the Council?"

"I'm here to tell you that the Council is expecting you, but they're dealing with their own… problems, with the war and everything. They apologize for the inconvenience, and blah-blah, yadda-yadda. Meet them at Udina's office; they'll be ready soon enough. You might have time to go by the medical office first, if you wanna check on your subordinate over there."

"Thanks, I might do that."

"You go on ahead" Liara said. "I'll head up to Udina's office."

"One of my men can show you the way" Bailey replied, before then turning to the others. "You folks?"

"I'm just a tourist today" Vega replied. "I'll try not to get in any trouble."

"I'd like to try contacting my people," Kal said, "see how they're doing, if the Reapers have hit them yet."

"Well, from what I hear," Bailey replied, "they haven't reached the Tikkun System _yet_, but who knows how long they'll have? In any case, just follow this map," he sent a bit of data to Kal's Omnitool, "it'll take you to a long-range comm. connection so you can get in touch… if the Reapers haven't destroyed any of the comm. buoys between here and Rannoch, that is…"

"I'll follow Commander Shepard around for now, I guess" Asa said.

"_Commander, we've got a situation in the embassy quarters_" an officer said over Bailey's comm. "_We could use your help._"

Bailey sighed. "I'll be right there." He turned to Shepard. "The _other_ half of my job" he grumbled. "I'll see you around, Shepard."

"Commander Shepard! Asa!"

The two turned to see a tall, shapely green-eyed girl in dark-blue jeans and a green shirt under an open brown jacket, her blonde hair in a ponytail. As she got close, Shepard saw that there was a bit of dark discoloration beneath her eyes.

"Sarah?" Asa asked. "What're you doing here?"

"I've been here with the kids – Erika, Timmy, & Mariko – for the past week or so, helping around and listening for trouble. And then, all hell breaks loose across the entire galaxy; I can't get a hold of anyone on our other worlds' bases."

"Where are the kids right now?" Shepard asked. "Are they safe?"

"Yeah, they're helping Kaidan out running things around for the refugees. But…" She looked worried. "Marie was helping Garrus with something on Palaven. And Palaven's getting hit, _hard_, by the Reapers. I haven't heard from her in a couple of days… How bad is it?"

"According to Hackett, in addition to having steamrolled over Khar'shan and, just earlier today, sacked Earth, the Reapers have managed to open dimensional rift-ways and hit six DDF planets in other realms – Equestria, Shakuras, Lucavos, Midchilda, Sanghelios, and Cybertron."

Sarah's expression shifted to one of horrified realization. "The whole rest of Gamma Team…" she murmured. "Oh, God…"

"Where are they?"

"Tia's on Mid, Shion & 'soka are on Shakuras, Kaede's on Lucavos, Mai's in Canterlot…"

"It's gonna be okay, Sarah…" he said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "They're survivors; I'm sure they're all fine."

"But for how long…?"

"Where's everyone else from Theta and Sigma?"

"Mana, Kaede K., Anya, and Aqua are all on their homeworlds, and Erio, Caro, & Laicixa are on the UNSC's Earth. They're all safe, for now. …You said the Reapers are hitting Sanghelios?"

Shepard smiled a little. "Trying to. But the Sangheili navy is handing them their butts."

"Recalling what those ships can do and how they're built, as well as how smart the Arbiter is in commanding fleet engagements, that doesn't surprise me much. So, what brings you here?"

"At the Mars Archives," Asa replied, "we found the blueprint for a Prothean anti-Reaper superweapon. We're going to show it to the Council. Also, Ashley Williams was badly injured by a Cerberus assassin-droid; they just rushed her to Huerta Memorial."

"I see… Well, let me know if anything plays out, or if you get any news about my teammates that I don't get first."

"Sure thing" Shepard replied. "Take care of yourself, and the kids."

"Will do; I'm gonna go find them now. I… I think I need to hug Erika for a while, for myself just as much as for her…"

As Sarah walked away, Shepard became aware of a commotion nearby, as a lady with a camera droid was pestering an Alliance man.

"Ma'am, I can't say when we're deploying," he was telling her, "or when, or why."

"But you're on the _Normandy_, right?" she asked. "I saw it dock. It was last seen on Earth. _Did Commander Shepard escape_? He did, didn't he? So why would he be here, unless he's seeing the Council?"

"Ma'am, I can't talk about that."

"Ah, you don't have to!" she said as Shepard finally walked up to investigate.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

"Commander," she said, "just who I was looking for. Diana Allers, Alliance News Network. I think we can help each other."

"I suppose you want an interview…"

"Even better. I'm a military reporter with a show called 'Battle-Space'. We're carried on just about all Council planets. My producers want me embedded on a human ship, and I want that ship to be the _Normandy_."

"Why would I want that?"

"Wars can be won or lost in the editing room. And this war _needs_ to be won. I've got Alliance security clearance, and I operate without a crew. You get veto power over the segments I file. Can I handle an arrangement like that, or do I keep looking?"

"Hmm… Tell your producers yes for now. We'll see how it works out. Report to the ship as soon as possible. Any questions?"

"How much gear can I bring?"

"One footlocker."

She saluted. "Aye-aye, Commander."

**-**_**Break**_**-**

**Citadel – Huerta Memorial Hospital**

Entering the hospital, moving past worried relatives and lightly-injured people, Shepard was about to head through the checkpoint into the ICU before he noticed a familiar face, and moved to check.

"Dr. Chakwas," he said, grabbing the woman's attention, "you're here?"

"I'm working at an Alliance R&D lab down in Shalta Wards," the old doctor replied, "coordinating closely with Admiral Hackett. I heard you escaped Earth in the _Normandy II_, and that someone was critically injured. I came as fast as I could."

"We had a run-in with a Cerberus synthetic on Mars. Ashley took the worst of it. How's she doing?"

"Very well, all things considered. I'm impressed with Lieutenant-Commander Williams' resilience, as well as Dr. Michel's expertise. …I wish I could have been there to help on Mars."

"How have you been the past few months, Doctor?"

"Good. I've been fortunate. When they dry-docked _Normandy_ for the retrofits, Hackett had me come here to work on something for him. At this point, the little project's just coasting on momentum; I'm just standing here watching it finish."

"Well, if it doesn't need your help anymore, you should come back to the _Normandy_. Your place is with us, not holed up in some lab."

"I couldn't agree more. Just say the word."

"The _Normandy_ wouldn't be the same without you, Doctor. Get your things. Docking Bay D24."

"Yes, Commander. And thank you."

"Don't thank me so soon. Remember: Joker is still aboard."

"And I'd be surprised if he's been remembering his medication."

With that done, Shepard passed through into the ICU, and headed for the door currently marked "LT-CDR WILLIAMS, A." He entered, to find Ashley laid out on a hospital bed by a window overlooking the Presidium; her head was covered in bruises, and her breathing was slow and deep as machines monitored her unconscious vitals. He stood by her bedside.

"You got pretty banged up there, Williams" he spoke softly. "Had me worried. …I just wanted to check in on you, see how you're doin'. …Despite all this, it's good seeing you again, Ash. Get some rest, okay? I'll come by when you're feeling better. We'll talk. …Take care, Ash. I'll see you soon." As he made to leave, he turned to a Doctor who'd come in. "You need anything, Doc, let me know."

**-**_**Break**_**-**

**Citadel Council Chamber**

"We've got our own problems, Udina" Councilor Sparatus was saying as Shepard entered. "Earth is not in this alone."

"But Earth was the first Council world hit" Udina replied. "By all reports, it faces the brunt of the attack."

"By _your_ reports…" Councilor Valern remarked.

"The reports are accurate" Shepard said as he walked up to stand beside Liara. "Earth is being ransacked by the Reapers. And it's just the beginning. We need your help – everything you can spare."

"Each of us faces a similar situation" Councilor Tevos said. "Even now, the Reapers are pressing on our borders. If we lend you our strength to help Earth, our own worlds will fall as well."

"We must fight this enemy together!" Udina said.

"And so we should just follow you to Earth, no questions asked?" Valern replied.

"Even if we were to unite our fleets," Sparatus asked Shepard, "do you really believe we could defeat the Reapers?"

"I don't expect you to follow me without a plan" Shepard replied.

"Councilors," Liara spoke up, "we have that plan: a blueprint, created by the Protheans during _their_ war against the Reapers."

"A blueprint for what?" the Turian Councilor asked.

"We're still piecing it together…" she called up a hologram of the device plans, "but it appears to be a weapon of some sort."

"Capable of destroying the Reapers?" the Salarian Councilor asked.

"So it would seem."

"The scale is… It would be a colossal undertaking."

"No" Shepard replied. "We forwarded the plans to Admiral Hackett. What remains of the Alliance Navy is already gathering resources to begin construction."

"Our initial calculations suggest it is very feasible to build" Liara added.

"_If_ we work together…"

"Have you considered that the Reapers destroyed the Protheans?" the Asari Councilor asked. "What good did this weapon do?"

"It was incomplete" Liara replied. "There was a missing component, something referred to only as 'the Catalyst'. The Protheans almost pulled through, but they ran out of time before they could finish building it." She dispelled the hologram.

"Do you really believe this can stop the Reapers?" Councilor Sparatus asked.

"Liara believes it can work," Shepard replied, "and so do I. And while I haven't always agreed with Udina, he's right about this. We need to stand together, now more than ever. The Reapers won't stop at Earth. They'll destroy every sapient being in the galaxy if we don't find a way to stop them."

Councilors Sparatus and Valern looked between them to Tevos, who shook her head.

"The cruel and unfortunate truth," she said, "is that while the Reapers focus on Earth, we can prepare and regroup."

"We are convening a summit amongst our species" Valern added. "If we can manage to secure our own borders, we will once again consider helping you."

"So that's it, then?" Udina growled to Tevos and Valern. "You're going to sacrifice the human species to protect your own?"

"We never said tha-" Tevos started.

"We may have a seat on this Council, but it is clear humanity will always be considered second-rate and expendable to you! Our world is _dying_. And unlike your people spread out across the galaxy, the percentile majority of our species population still dwells in our home system. The Reapers will reduce us to below the minimum needed to maintain a genetically-viable population, if they don't just wipe us all out directly! And you… you just plan to stand back and _watch_ as we're exterminated! …When – not if, _when_ – the Reapers render humanity extinct, our species' blood will be on _your_ hands!"

Udina then slammed the power-down button of his console, and stormed out of the chamber.

"This…" Tevos spoke, sounding rattled. "This meeting is adjourned…"

"They don't know that humans' minimum number is somewhere between 600 and 2000, do they?" Liara murmured to Shepard.

"I didn't know that either" he replied quietly. "Don't tell them; having the 'knowledge' of a species' existence at stake might spur Tevos and Valern to help us sooner… I hope…"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Citadel Embassies – Councilor Donnel Udina's Office**

"They're a bunch of self-concerned jackasses, Shepard!" Udina growled.

"I can't see how they could be so blind" Shepard replied.

"They're scared, and they're looking out for themselves; to hell with anyone else, in their eyes."

"Our _people_ are scared," Councilor Sparatus chimed in as he entered, "and we're looking out for them the best we know how. …And I, for one, strongly disapprove of Tevos throwing humanity to the varren like this." He turned to the Commander. "Shepard, I can't give you what you need, but I _can_ tell you how to get it."

"I'm listening…" Shepard said.

"Primarch Fedorian called the war summit," the Turian leader said, "but… we lost contact with him when the Reapers hit Palaven. Those meetings won't proceed without him. The _Normandy-II_ is one of the few ships that can extract Fedorian undetected."

"So far you've only explained how _I_ can help _you_."

"It might seem that way… but the leaders of this summit will be the ones deciding our future – the fate of our fleets, where they fight and with whom. A grateful Primarch would be a tremendous ally in your bid to unite us."

"We're at war, and you want me to play politician?"

"If it gets you what you need, what does it matter? Our latest intelligence says that the Primarch was moved to a base on Menae, Palaven's largest moon. …I've done all I can to help. The rest is up to you. …Oh, there is one more thing. The others wanted me to tell you… we've chosen to uphold your Spectre status. Various resources will be made available to you. Good day."

With that, the Turian Councilor made his exit.

"Well," Shepard said, "that went well."

"It's a start" Udina replied as he sat as his desk. "I'll talk to the others in the meantime - see if we can support this summit, move things along. …The Council… You saved their lives, and for what? Apologies that boil down to 'maybe later'. …If we don't figure out something, 'maybe later' will be the epitaph on a mass grave of 11 billion."

"I know what _I'm_ gonna do" Shepard said. "What about you?"

"Humanity has created some goodwill in the galaxy. Now we cash in our chips. I'll get what funding I can, what materials I can, and spread the message: 'Help the humans, help yourselves'. I'll institute a draft in our colonies and order all civilian ships armed. Work on the Prothean device will be around-the-clock."

"You're a Citadel Councilor. Don't you have options when the others block you like this?"

"With Parliament destroyed and Shastri gone, I have more power than any human in history. But today, you saw how little that is. But rest assured, I will not be counted out long. I know I can move mountains. Do not lose sight of that, because the task before us is moving planets."

"Any news from Earth?"

"There is constant news, all of it bad. The Reapers are destroying satellites and the old nuclear missile silos, along with everything else that could help. We have a handful of quantum entanglers spread out over the continents; all other communication is cut."

"Did you know a lot of people on Earth?"

"I must know… I must have known most of the Alliance Parliament on a first-name basis. I required a second VI just to track all their birthdays and anniversaries - rose garden stuff. But to have it all gone… hmph."

"I should go."

"I'll be here."

Shepard left the office behind, but as he passed by the C-Sec Commander's Office, he heard what sounded like an argument inside. He went in, and saw Bailey at his desk, talking to a familiar paparazzi.

"There is no anti-humanity conspiracy, Ms. Al-Jilani" he said. "The Council's simply not granting interviews at this time."

"My viewers are going to know that C-Sec _and_ the Council are denying them access" Khalisah replied.

"Listen, lady, you think I like playing gatekeeper between the paparazzi and the politicians? I don't have time to babysit them, and I'm not here to hold your hand."

"Well, I'm camping out until I'm granted an audience."

"Fine. I hope you brought your sleepin' bag."

Khalisah stormed out, with Shepard standing aside to let her through. She nodded, then double-took.

"Commander Shepard? Commander, humanity has questions!"

The door closed between the two of them, and Shepard walked over to Bailey.

"Damn press…" Bailey grumbled.

"I see you're keeping the peace" Shepard said.

"Yeah, I feel like a glorified doorman."

"Most people would see it as a move up."

"Wedged in here with all the stuffed shirts? I'd rather be back down on the streets. I appreciate the higher pay-grade, but I'm not a political creature."

"If you didn't wanna be upped, why'd you accept?"

"You don't say no to Councilor Udina. Well, maybe _you_ would, but I've gotta live here. I know, squeaky wheel gets the oil, but I didn't lobby for a promotion like some other officers. I'm not even sure why he picked me; ya never know with politicians. I hate political BS." He scoffed. "It's killin' me about Earth…"

"You and me both."

"I haven't been back in years. Now I may never. If this ain't the end of days, it's pretty damn close."

Shepard nodded, and then left. As he neared the elevator, he found a certain reporter waiting to ambush him.

"Commander Shepard, Khali Bint Sinan al-Jilani. Isn't it true that you were on Earth when the Reapers attacked? How do you justify running away while millions of people on Earth die? Is that the best we can expect from the Alliance?"

"I came to get help for Earth," he replied, "for everyone."

"What about all the people suffering while you play politics with the Council? What about them?" It was clear she was getting distraught. "How can you stand here while our families die? What are you going to do?"

"Khalisah…" he patted her on the shoulder. "We're doing everything we can."

"Before they cut the feeds… there were so many dead…"

"I'm gonna stop the Reapers or die trying. But I need your help. Keep asking the hard questions. Don't let the Council forget about Earth."

"I will… Thank you, Commander. We may not have always seen eye-to-eye, but I'm glad you're on our side."

As al-Jilani walked away, Shepard found one last person here in the Embassies, looking out a window at the Predisium.

"'Sup, Loco?" James asked. "Liara told me the Council's not interested in helping us."

"Something like that" Shepard replied.

"Why would they? I mean, look at this place. There's no war here. People are whispering about it, talking about it, but they don't really believe it."

"I take it this is your first time here, with the 'elite' of the galaxy."

"I've been to the Citadel, but never up here on the Presidium. It's… not _right_. It _looks_ pretty, calm and peaceful, but it's not right. It's all just an illusion. They'd rather believe in this" he gestured around "than face the truth."

"I can hardly believe it myself…" Shepard murmured. "Like everything back on Earth was some kind of nightmare…"

"Yeah. That's what I hate most. It's like this place _wants_ you to forget that."

"…So, you still wanna go back to Earth?"

"Hell yeah, but…"

"But…"

"You were right. So was Anderson. We can't stop them alone. Besides, looks like you're gonna have your hands full convincing these _pendejo_ politicians to help us. And I'm up for it, whatever it takes."

"Glad to hear it."

"I'm gonna head down to some of the lower levels, where they keep it real. You got some spare time, you should come and find me."

"I think I'm gonna head back to my cabin on the _Normandy_, try to get a couple hours' sleep."

"Yeah, I think you kinda need it after all the shit you been through the past 24 hours. See ya, Shepard."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Midchilda**

Nanoha launched an Accel Shooter barrage that took out another pack of Husks, while Teana and Fate used their energy blades to carve through a squad of Cannibals. With this area now clear (for the moment), everyone gathered together in the middle.

"How many did we lose?" Fate asked.

"Three" Ginga replied. "Two of ours, and a UNSC marine. We've got four wounded, also, but not too serious."

"This is messed up" Vita said. "The Bureau's never faced something this bad before…"

"My first experience with war was the invasion of Reach" Teana remarked. "It feels like it's been forever since then, and now I'm right in the middle of _another_ invasion, this one much bigger. …I hope the others are okay…"

"How's the fleet doing?" Nanoha asked.

Signum checked with her Omnitool. "They're holding for now, but they're on the defensive. The rest of the Bureau Navy has arrived to help, but it seems a stalemate. The real problem is the enemy leader…"

She displayed an image of a command-subclass Reaper, 2500 meters in size with orange 'running lights' – the Reaper who called itself 'Pinnacle'.

"That behemoth's main gun can burn through the shields and armor of a _Lance_-class heavy cruiser in only four shots."

"And as far as we know," Subaru said, "the Bureau's 'trump card' is still undergoing retrofits at the Naval HQ station. And our ships can't close the warp breach as long as Reapers are still guarding it and actively coming through it, so…"

"Shit…" Teana grumbled.

"We can't give up hope" Fate said. "The other DDF fleets will probably be able to send help soon."

"Why haven't they already, then?" Vita asked. "They're probably being hit by Reapers, too, in which case they'll be too busy fighting for their lives to help us."

"I wish we could just blast these monsters…" Nanoha said. "But the big ones are so huge, and so durable, it'd take a full-power Starlight Breaker or Kamehameha just to kill _one_, and the 'little' ones are still durable enough that we'd all exhaust ourselves before taking out even half of them. Not to mention, the ones in space are too far out of our range…"

"Yeah, these things are so tough and so many that even Goku or Vegeta would exhaust themselves out of the fight from making just a dent in the Reapers' overall numbers" Teana added. "They can each take out maybe a dozen big Reapers each per run-through, sure, but if new Reapers are made from each sapient race for every cycle, and the Reapers have been doing this cycle for over a billion years… Plus, like you've said, they can't breathe in space; all the Reapers would have to do is micro-jump out far enough from the planet and start bombarding from long-range."

"At least we can carve through their ground forces like nobody's business" Subaru said. "We can't do much against the Reapers themselves, but we can make things a hell of a lot easier for the DDF's soldiers who have to fight Husks."

"Except when the Husk forces are dug in at urban areas" Signum replied. "At that point, we can't go all-out or we risk bringing buildings down on our own heads, or those of our fellow soldiers or even surviving civilians."

Teana looked up at the sky, seeing the flashes of the ongoing space battle.

'We're gonna need some miracles. …I hope you girls are all right…'

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

_**Normandy II**_** – Commander's Cabin**

Shepard snapped awake, breaking free of the depressing nightmare he'd been having. He sat on his bed, holding his face on his hand, until a knock on his door brought him out. When he went to open it, he found Liara waiting.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"I've been forwarding the Turian Councilor information on the Prothean device" she replied. "It can't be built without Council support, but he's not budging until their Primarch is safe."

"I know…"

"Are you alright?"

"I didn't get what you'd call a good night's rest."

"There's more to it than that, isn't there? What's really bothering you?"

"When the Reapers hit… I could hear people screaming in the streets below me. We left a lot of them behind…"

"There's no way for you to save them all. But I know you're doing everything you can, and you'll get back there in time to help."

"I hope you're right…"

"Don't blame yourself, Commander."

"Commander Shepard?" a woman with a British accent wearing an Alliance uniform walked in off the elevator. "I'm Specialist- …Oh. Uh, I beg your pardon. I thought you were alone."

"It's alright" Liara replied. "I was just leaving. …Try not to let things you can't have changed haunt you so much, Commander. I'll see you later."

As Liara left via the elevator, the new woman saluted.

"Commander Shepard? I'm Comm. Specialist Samantha Traynor, with Alliance R&D. I was part of the team retrofitting the _Normandy II_ after you turned it over to the Alliance. There weren't many of us aboard when the Reapers hit…"

"You're doing fine, Specialist Traynor."

"Thank you. I worked in a lab; I never thought I'd be serving on a ship. In any event, I'm honored to serve under you, Commander. For as long as you need me, that is. They only sent me here to oversee the retrofits…"

"Shepard," EDI chimed in, "some of our systems require further testing, and Specialist Traynor has been extremely effective during installation. I would prefer that she remain."

"Got it, EDI" Shepard replied.

"Wait…" Traynor said. "Since when does a virtual intelligence make requests?"

"EDI's an A.I.," Shepard said, "fully self-aware."

"Oh, I knew it! I _knew_ Joker was lying!"

"Jeff requested that I pretend to be a simple VI to protect myself" EDI replied. "I apologize for the deception."

"Thanks, EDI. And I apologize for all those times I talked about how… attractive your voice is. A-Anyway, let's move on, shall we Commander?"

"Alright. Why don't you tell me about the retrofits?"

"The ship's in line with Alliance regs now, and it has new top-of-the-line quantum entanglement communicators. The CIC is basically unchanged. The new War Room houses a strategic command center, for mission-specific intel and war analysis. We've moved the armory down to the shuttle bay on Deck 5. And finally, Liara has set up a lot of hardware down in the old XO office on Deck 3. I think she's claimed that room. And there you are; still the same ship as before, it just flies Alliance colors now. Speaking of which, I believe Admiral Hackett would like to speak to you at the vid comm."

-_Break_-

**Deck 3 – War Room – Comm. Room**

"_Commander, Udina updated me on your meeting with the Council. Sounds like they're running scared._"

"We did present them with a lot of unknowns. They're feeling threatened, and want immediate solutions, not theories."

"_Theories are all we've got right now. What's your plan?_"

"I'm trying to get the Turian Primarch for a summit meeting with the Asari and Salarians. I'll bypass the Council and appeal directly to their leadership."

"_That's good. I like it. This is where we start laying the groundwork for our counterattack._"

"Unfortunately, we don't have a whole lot to back it up right now."

"_Then build alliances. Gather everything and everybody you can for the cause._"

"What about the Prothean device?"

"_Find me people who can help build it. And if you can't, I'll take ships, soldiers, supplies, whatever you can get. We need to keep hitting the Reapers across every theater of war they open – buy us time to figure out the device._"

"And when it's finished?"

"_Assuming it ever is, we pool all our resources, create a giant armada for delivering the device when the Reapers are most vulnerable. The stronger you can make that armada, the better its chances of punching through._"

"What about Earth, sir?"

"_We'll just have to hope that Anderson, and what's left of the Sol system's Alliance forces, can hold out until we've dealt with the enemy._"

"I understand."

"_Good. Then make it happen, Commander. I'll be expecting regular updates on your progress. Hackett out._"

As the communication ended, Shepard decided to go check on everyone, first heading up to the cockpit to check on Joker.

"Hey, Commander. Y'know, I had my doubts about the Council, but after years of ignoring your warnings, they're finally willing to step up and tell us they just can't help. Did they at least validate our parking?"

"Nope."

"Well, lemme know if you wanna get them on the channel and then hang up on 'em. Y'know, for shits-n-giggles…"

Next came the medbay on Deck 3, where Dr. Chakwas was already getting settled in.

"Everything okay down here, Doctor?" he asked.

"The Alliance team cleaned up and restocked," she replied, "but it's still my old medbay. Feels like home."

"Welcome back."

"Thank you. Let's waste no time; if I may, I'd like to examine you." She brought her Omnitool up.

"Nothin' wrong with me, is there?"

"No, but we should keep an eye on all those cybernetic implants Cerberus grafted into you."

"Expensive stuff, bringing me back…"

"And worth every credit. Let's just make sure everything is okay."

"I guess a checkup never hurts. Just no scalpel this time, Doc."

"Alas, to my great disappointment it is nothing invasive. I'm just going to run some diagnostics on your implants." She waved her Omnitool in front of him a couple times, and then looked at the readouts. "Your implants show no signs of rejection. Just keep up that positive outlook of yours, and you'll be fine."

"How's our inventory of meds?"

"The medbay was fully stocked before you left Earth. We should be good for a long time, even given the amount of fire you take each day."

"Do you ever regret working for Cerberus?"

"We didn't work for them. We _used_ them. If I were to feel anything, it would be guilt; we took their money, took their best people, took their best ship. We used them to defeat the Collectors, and now we are using their resources against them." She smirked. "So no, I don't regret it one bit."

"Right. I'll see you around, Doctor."

"Take care, Shepard."

Next, he headed over to the XO office. Upon opening it, he was greeted by the sight of a wall covered in synchronized display screens, with at least three computer consoles throughout the room. Soon, a familiar little light-blue drone floated before him.

"Commander Shepard," it said, "it's a pleasure to see you again."

"You're the drone from the Shadow Broker's ship."

"Dr. T'Soni now refers to me as 'Glyph' instead of 'Info Drone'… 95% of the time. She would like to speak with you. Have a pleasant day."

As Liara walked up, Shepard looked around.

"Looks like you brought more than just that drone from your ship" he said.

"A few things were necessary" she replied. "I'd be a very silent Shadow Broker without data feeds."

"So you have access to your resources?"

"What I can get. We'll need it to research this Prothean device. Until we understand precisely what it does, it's far too dangerous to use."

"It'd be nice to know we're not kids playing around with a loaded gun."

"Absolutely. The damage it could cause if it backfired is unthinkable. I'm working with EDI; hopefully we can discover what the Protheans left for us."

"You don't know anything more about it?"

"No; we're fortunate that enough survived to piece together the blueprints. Decoding them will require many specialists."

"It's that high-tech?"

"I'd have killed for a glimpse of it during graduate school…"

"What have you been up to since I got stationed on Earth?"

"Since you helped me defeat the last Shadow Broker, I've been looking for defenses against the Reapers. The Protheans were the only ones with substantial information on them; the older civilizations barely had records. I knew the Illusive Man was hunting for the same thing when our agents began crossing paths."

"Like on Mars?"

"I thought I'd covered my tracks, but he had surveillance there all along."

"What's been happening with you as the Broker, Liara?"

"It's been… exciting. The old Broker's ship was impressive, but it was never meant to be space-worthy. Which meant the Illusive Man eventually tracked me down on Hagalaz. I knew he was coming. Feron and I loaded as much of the ship's specialized hardware onto an up-sized shuttle as we could, and the quantum-crystal data-storage technology donated by the UNSC allowed us to save every last bit of the software and stored data. We got away after arranging an… appropriate distraction."

"That being?"

"Sending the Broker's ship to ram into a Cerberus heavy cruiser and explode on impact. I don't think the Illusive Man expected me to give it up in such a… spectacular fashion."

"Can you still operate as the Broker without the ship?"

"Well, I couldn't let the Illusive Man have it. I saved what was crucial. My network of agents is intact, although the Reapers have taken a toll on their numbers. It's taking a while to reestablish contact."

"So where's Feron?"

"He convinced me he was recovered enough to work. And I do need more agents…"

"Agent Feron didn't report any trouble or injuries in his last call to you, Doctor" Glyph reported.

"True. Given what he's survived, I should probably worry less."

"I should let you get back to worth. We'll talk later, Liara."

Next was Deck 4, Engineering, where Shepard found another familiar face.

"Commander! Welcome back to the _Normandy_! Or maybe you should be saying that to _me_."

"Engineer Adams. What're you doing here?"

"I was put in charge of the drive-core retrofits. My experience on the _Normandy-1_ made me an obvious choice."

"So what do you think of the _N2_?"

"She's incredible. If there's one nice thing I can say about Cerberus, it's that they know how to build a ship. And about that – Cerberus, I mean – I owe you an apology."

"How so?"

"Back when you got this ship, Dr. Chakwas contacted me, asked me to help with your mission against the Collectors. I refused. I didn't have your back, and I'm sorry for that."

"Why didn't you join us?"

"I saw what happened to you when the _Normandy_ went down. I didn't trust that it was really you. And I certainly didn't trust Cerberus. Also, as an officer of the Alliance, I don't just leave my post, y'know?"

"You're Alliance first. That's the way it should be."

"Thank you, Commander. Glad to be aboard."

"Does the new _Normandy_ stack up to the old one?"

Adams chuckled. "Stack up? It blows the old ship away. The Tantalus drive core has been completely overhauled. The _SR-2_ might be nearly twice the size, but the new drive core is three times bigger. This ship can _fly_. That said, Cerberus isn't too high on safety. If pushed past her limits, this core would vent into Engineering. Guess it gives my team incentive to keep her well-balanced during a firefight."

"Do your job or get vaporized."

"Pretty much. I noticed you upgraded the barriers with cyclonic technology. That should help reduce the draw when under missile fire."

"Hopefully that means fewer vaporized engineers?"

"Hopefully. The IES stealth system is significantly improved. It can handle a higher blueshift of our emissions; we should be able to drop out of FTL without triggering every sensor in range – _very_ handy for stealth-reconnaissance. All in all, the _Normandy II_ is a marvel of engineering."

"What do you think of EDI?"

"We had a good talk during the retrofit. A little strange at first, talking shop with an AI…"

"I thought EDI posed as a VI to keep the likes of you from unplugging her."

"Yeah, but I saw through her. Have you seen her hardware? Processing power is off the charts. And then there were the problems that kept fixing themselves. If I hadn't had her pegged, I'd have sworn I was losing it."

"_You never expressed any skepticism, Lieutenant Adams._"

"I figured I'd better play it safe with a Cerberus-made AI, EDI. No offense."

"_None taken… as long as you keep your fingers out of my cognizance processors._"

"Heh. In the beginning, I tried disconnecting her from key processes without giving myself away. Easier said than done. But Joker seemed to trust her, and in time I saw her advantages, even grew to like her."

"Is your family okay?"

"My parents are serving on _Viridian Zenith_, an Alliance agricultural vessel. My sister is a navigator on the SSV _Benjamin Davis_. Happy to report that both vessels are safely under Hackett's command."

"Right, then. Carry on, Adams."

"Aye-aye, sir."

Before heading down, he swung by the starboard cargo, where Zaeed used to hang out, and found the place with plenty of gear set up, one wall covered in pictures. The reporter was just finishing setting up.

"How's your new assignment working out, Allers?" he asked her.

"Fairly normal," she replied, "except for the unshackled AI, Matriarch Benezia's daughter, and the communicator that can reach Earth. The first two I can deal with, but that last one gets my attention."

"So, what are you asking for, exactly?"

"Anything from Earth is the lead story right now; that's a fact."

"Maybe I can pass on a few non-classified progress updates."

"Seriously? You just doubled my ratings. I don't need face time, just a data upload."

"Tell people what's really happening on Earth. We need long recruiting lines on every planet after you air a story."

"Can do, Commander."

Next was a trip down to Deck 5, where a Latino-looking man was working on one of the consoles, looking up as he heard Shepard coming.

"Lieutenant Steve Cortez," he introduced himself, "shuttle pilot. Got news about our supply chains, Commander."

"Nice to meet you, Lieutenant" Shepard shook his hand. "What's goin' on?"

"Sorry to just jump in, Commander. There's so much to be done, I get caught up in the tasks at hand."

"He's always like that" James chimed in from across the shuttle bay. "You need to chill out, _Esteban_."

"So you _do_ care, Mr. Vega. Or is that the _cerveza_ talking again."

"So what's happening with our supply chains, Lieutenant?" Shepard asked.

"Alliance procurement chains are in chaos, but the Citadel economy is still running. I can network to Citadel retailers. You can view inventory and make purchases right from this console. It does cost more to coordinate delivery to the _Normandy_, so it's cheaper to buy stuff when you're there."

"So you're my shuttle pilot, but you're setting up procurement chains?"

"I wasn't assigned as _Normandy_'s pilot; not much need for one on a dry-docked ship. I was overseeing the retrofit of the cargo hold. I'm quite familiar with the operation and maintenance of the UT-47 Kodiak and the M44 Hammerhead. With my experience, it made sense to take over as shuttle pilot when we left Earth. Especially given Mr. Vega's love of midair collisions."

"To save the day, _pendejo_!" James replied.

"I'm also responsible for logistics, making sure the armory and shuttle are properly stocked and maintained."

"You maintain the armory?"

"I share that duty with our illustrious Mr. Vega. Though I believe the only weapon he really cares to maintain is himself."

"You know you love the show, _Esteban_!" James called out while doing chin-ups.

"Heh. First retrofit we did was to move the armory down from Deck 2. I'm not sure what Cerberus engineers were thinking… Now you get off the elevator, pick your gear, and head right into the shuttle."

"Just like the original _Normandy_."

"Welcome back to the Alliance, Commander."

"The Kodiak seems a bit different."

"Good eyes, Commander. This is the UT-47A Kodiak. It's got an upgraded eezo core and prototype stealth technology based on the _Normandy_'s design. For quick drops, I can get you in and out virtually undetected. But she flies like a brick, so that's why you need a good pilot."

"Yeah, Kal'Reegar said the same thing. How long have you been with the Alliance?"

"About 10 years. I enlisted in the 1st Fleet on the SSV _Hawking_, flying F61 Tridents mostly. I love the Trident – practically dances in low-atmo. I spend as much time tinkering with my bird as flying her – got a bit of a reputation."

"So, you can fly fighters _and_ fix them."

"Yeah. I got a knack for procurement, too. They were grooming me for CAG, but my skill-set made me more valuable commanding a flight deck."

"You were stationed on Earth. Do you have family there?"

"I'm an only child, lost my parents years ago. I had a husband back when I was stationed at Ferris Fields; the Collectors took out the whole colony. …I'd rather not talk about it."

"Alright. Keep up the hard work, but don't kill yourself."

"Yes, Commander."

Shepard headed across the hangar bay, to where James was still working out.

"Hey, Shepard" James said between pull-ups. "You down here for a reason?"

"Just came down to chat" Shepard replied.

"Great. Not sure what there is to talk about. You already know my service record."

"I don't, actually. The brass kept me so damn busy I didn't have time."

"Right. Forgot about that. Well…" he dropped to the floor, cracking the cartilage of his neck. "Think you can dance and talk at the same time?"

"I think I can handle it" Shepard replied as the two headed to the center of the hangar.

"Okay, _loco_. Let's dance."

"Don't push your luck, Vega. With age comes wisdom… and rank!"

He made the first few blows, which James blocked.

"Hah. You sound like my old CO." A few return blows.

"Oh yeah?" A blocked uppercut. "And who was that?"

"Captain Toni. He was a hard-ass son of a bitch, but a good leader." Shepard moved in, landing a blow to the chin. "Heh. Nice."

A few blocked blows. "What do you mean, 'was'?"

The two circled each other.

"Died, with most of my squad, protecting a civilian colony from a Collector attack." Two more blows blocked.

"And the colony?"

"It was either them," a punch, "or intel we had on the Collectors," a more aggressive series of strikes, "intel we could've used to destroy 'em. I chose the intel."

Shepard back-stepped to avoid a blow. "Sorry. That's a tough call."

James panted lightly. "And the 'best' part was, we didn't really need the intel in the end, 'cause you were out saving the galaxy by taking out the entire Collector homeworld." Another wave of strikes that Shepard blocked.

"You didn't know. You can't blame yourself, Vega."

"Who says I'm blamin' myself?"

A rising blow to James' chin. "I do."

"You're a shrink, too?"

"No," two blows that James blocked, "but that stunt back on Mars was reckless." Two more Shepard blows blocked, and a strike from James dodged. "You're lucky to be alive."

"So?"

"So," a blow blocked by James, "maybe you don't care if you live or die."

"Or maybe…" a blocked strike that pushed Shepard back a step. "I'm just willing to do whatever the fuck it takes to end this goddamned _war_!"

He charged, but Shepard caught his blow and judo-flipped him to the floor. "Maybe you are. But if you're even half as good as I think you are, we need you alive."

James got to his feet. "Thanks for the pep-talk."

"Any time."

"Thanks for the dance, _loco_."

"_Loco_, huh?"

"I can think of worse things to call you."

"As long as you remember who's in charge, you can call me whatever you want."

"Oh, I will…"

-_Break_-

**Deck 2 – CIC**

"Commander?" Traynor turned to face him. "Come to check on your new recruit?"

"Just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Still trying to get my bearings. When I was working on the _Normandy_'s upgrades, I left at the end of the day. I didn't even have a toothbrush or a change of clothing until I made some emergency purchases on the Citadel."

"Next time you need something, just ask. We're all in this together."

"Oh, i-it's no trouble, Commander. I'm sure you have larger concerns."

"We can put in a requisition order."

"My toothbrush is a Cision Pro Mark-IV. It uses tiny mass-effect fields to break up plaque and massage the gums. It costs 6,000 credits."

"Okay. Yeah. You're on your own with that."

"In any event, I appreciate you giving me the chance to stay."

"Where are you from, originally?"

"A colony in the Terminus Systems, actually, though I studied on Earth, at Oxford. My parents were from London; they loved Earth, but they wanted the freedom a colony life could offer. Even if that freedom has its share of danger."

"How'd you end up in the military, anyway?"

"My family didn't have money for a university. When the Alliance saw my aptitude scores, they offered me a full scholarship. I served my required years after graduation, and decided to stay. I really like the challenges of the lab. A-Although I'm sure I'll grow to love frontline service as well."

"So, you worked in Alliance R&D?"

"Yes. You'd think quantum entanglement would make communication easy. But imagine incorporating multiple incoming sources, and then networking them with extrapolations of time-lagged data to construct a coherent situation GUI… It's an exciting challenge! Um, for me, anyway."

"Right, then. Carry on, Traynor."

"Yes sir. Oh, and you've just received a message from Command."

Shepard looked at his terminal, sorting through a few minor things before finding the 'Priority' message:

"_Commander,_

_Cerberus has attacked Eden Prime and is now occupying the colony. Alliance forces are stretched too thin right now to attempt to liberate the colony, but we're doing what we can to covertly aid the local resistance._

_In the process, we've learned that Cerberus has uncovered a major Prothean artifact. We don't know what it is, but it appears to be the reason for the attack on the colony. We need you to infiltrate the colony and recover the artifact._"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

Next Time: Eden Prime (and the N7 mission on Sanctum)

Sorry this chapter's so talky-talky; we'll get back to action soon.


	4. From Ashes

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Realm ME-N7 – Exodus Cluster – Utopia System – Eden Prime**

**Scan: **"_This idyllic agrarian world was one of the first human colonies established beyond the Charon mass relay. Eden Prime's fertile biosphere drew heavy immigration by the Systems Alliance and other human organizations. In 2183, Eden Prime was attacked by a Geth force led by the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius. Commander Shepard, responding to the attack, encountered a Prothean beacon that warned of imminent Reaper invasion. It is thanks to this beacon, and the Commander's quick action, that the galaxy has any chance of survival today.  
Though the Reapers rushed past much of the Exodus Cluster in their plan to take Earth, it is clear the war has come to Eden Prime. Distress signals have jammed all available frequencies, fires burn in vast swaths across the arable land, and its once-extensive monorail system is twisted metal. It is clear that Cerberus has much to lose if word of their ruthless attack on the human colony gets out. What they stand to gain must be equally valuable._"

An Alliance UT-47A Kodiak descended toward the garden world below, carrying two humans, an Asari, and a Quarian.

"Eden Prime…" Liara said. "This is where it all began." She turned to Shepard. "Where the Prothean beacon gave you the vision that warned us about the Reapers."

"And where you went up against Saren and the Geth for the first time, no?" James asked.

"Yes" Liara replied. "And now with Cerberus here, Eden Prime's colonists are under attack again."

"Seems like more than just three years ago…" Shepard mused.

"How bad?" James asked.

"A lot of dead civilians; lost one of my men – Jenkins – to a Geth drone."

"Report said Saren had bombs set up to wipe out the whole colony."

"Not on my watch."

"Damn straight, Loco."

"Cerberus hit Eden Prime hard" Liara said. "Whatever they found here was worth a major offensive. There are survivors elsewhere on the colony, but they killed everyone near the dig site."

"They deserve better…" Shepard replied.

"I know. The Alliance did what it could to evacuate colonists, but Cerberus came in so quickly…"

"If we find survivors, we'll do what we can. What about this artifact? Is it part of the Prothean device we found on Mars?"

"The Alliance didn't get any specifics about what Cerberus has uncovered. But whatever it is, it's better off with us than with them."

"I'm bringing you in as close to the dig site as I can" Cortez called from the pilot's seat. "No way we'll avoid detection, but you should have a few minutes."

"Appreciate it" Shepard replied.

"All part of the service, Commander."

"All right, everyone. Get ready to move."

"With luck," Liara said, "we can get to the dig site before Cerberus knows we're here."

"Since when do we have that kinda luck?" Kal'Reegar asked.

"I know, I know, but we can hope."

The Kodiak shuttle flew in over the numerous prefabricated structures that made up the colony, setting down on a rocky plateau area overlooking the dig site. The quartet piled out, starting their way down a rocky path to the site.

"No sign of survivors…" Kal said. "Come on; we gotta find the dig site."

"This was a beautiful colony once" Shepard said.

"They came back after the Geth attack" James replied. "They'll come back from this."

"I grew up on ships. Lose one, you could always move onto another."

"But you'd still remember…" Liara replied.

"Yeah…"

The quartet headed into a structure, passing a few empty chairs and terminals. On a terminal on a table, they found an interesting – and worrying – message:

"_Processing Update:_

_We've taken more able-bodied men and women from pacified neighborhoods. The colonists generally have accepted the story that they have gone to perform tedious but safe manual labor in a Cerberus research camp on the other side of the planet, and when we increased food rations as "payment for the work" most of the complains died out._

_Maintain the story as long as possible. We don't have the manpower to fight the entire colony, and if these families knew they were never going to see their sons and daughters again, there's no way they'd cooperate._"

"Shepard," Liara said, "this Cerberus data could help the colonists still alive on Eden Prime."

"How?"

"I can get this intel to Eden Prime's resistance. Maybe it will help them fight back against Cerberus."

After about half a minute's work, the data was sent out to every resistance cell on the planet. The team then moved on, out a nearby door and along a metal-grate pathway leading to a platform overlooking the dig site. Liara walked up to the terminal and started the elevator down below to come up, carrying the 'artifact'. As she read the display, her eyes widened.

"Goddess," she breathed out, "that doesn't seem possible. It's not a Prothean artifact. It's…"

The elevator arrived, carrying a Prothean structure that Shepard quickly recognized from Ilos: a stasis pod.

"…a Prothean."

"You mean a Collector?" James asked. "Those things the Reapers turned the Protheans into?"

"No. An original, unmodified Prothean, who's _still alive_."

"That _doesn't_ sound possible" Shepard replied.

"We saw Prothean stasis chambers in the archives on Ilos" she began scanning the pod with her Omnitool. "The only reason those failed was running out of power. Cerberus found this one in an underground bunker. It still has power. He's been in stasis for the past 50,000 years, waiting for us. Think of what we could learn."

"What can you tell me about the Protheans? The people, not the technology."

"Given your experience with the Prothean cipher, you probably know as much about them as I do. The Prothean empire spanned the known galaxy. They uplifted countless other species to help them join the galactic community."

"Uplifted?" Kal said. "Like what the Salarians did with the Krogans?"

"Yes. Judging by the dig sites like the Prothean archive on Mars, or here on Eden Prime, the Protheans wanted other species to learn. It's clear that they prized knowledge, growth, and cooperation with the rest of the galaxy."

"The way you describe them," Shepard said, "they sound a lot like the Asari."

"I'm certain I'm coloring their culture with my own perceptions… Whatever the Protheans were, finding one alive represents an incredible opportunity."

"Good thing we brought our expert on them."

"I hope I can help. If this single Prothean was sent into stasis, he could be the foremost scientist of his time, or perhaps the wisest counselor." As she looked at her scan results, she sighed. "Cerberus damaged the lifepod when they excavated it. The life-signs are unstable."

"Then let's get him out of there."

"No, breaking open the pod would kill him. We have to find the command signal that ends the stasis mode. We also need to figure out how to physically open the pod without doing more damage. Cerberus took over the labs nearby to research what they found at the dig site. That's likely our best bet."

As the quartet started their way back along the path toward the structures, a Cerberus Kodiak suddenly flew low and fast over their heads, the wind almost knocking them over. It hovered right over the roof of a structure ahead, dropping off a Centurion and three of a new enemy type – Nemeses, females in black bodysuits, with face-concealing helmets and carrying M98 Widow sniper rifles. As everyone got into cover, Shepard drew his N7 Valiant and took aim at a Nemesis on the roof; she was aiming at him too, but he was faster, and his shot tore through her skull. He then Overloaded the shields of the Centurion, leaving the hostile vulnerable to a burst-fire shot from James' Vindicator, and then ducked to narrowly avoid having his head sniped off by another Nemesis' shot. Kal'Reegar fired an Incinerate, the fireball curve-balling to smash into a Nemesis from the side, stunning her and weakening her shields. A few bullets took them down the rest of the way, and a Warp from Liara finished the hostile off. The final Nemesis took aim at Liara, but a Carnage shot from James knocked her for a loop, allowing Shepard to put a round through her head.

"All right," Shepard said, "let's get moving before more of them come."

The team moved on, heading left and through an L-shaped building, wherein they found another Cerberus log:

"_Troop Deployment Update:_

_Local resistance is heavy in the south and west sections of the colony. We've pulled most of our troops from the north neighborhoods to assist. All remaining troops in the north neighborhood: continue standard patrol activities to maintain the illusion of a large presence in that area. If the locals knew we were understaffed, they could do some serious damage._"

"More intel to help the colonists" Liara said as she sent it out across the planet. "The more we find, the better chance they'll have."

They hopped down a nearby gap to outside, and moved into a two-story building with a big red '2' on the side. Moving through it, they came to a large open doorway overlooking a section of bare ground between them and a research lab up ahead… as well as the Cerberus Engineer and shielded sentry-turret waiting for them, the latter of which quickly opened fire, forcing everyone into cover. It stopped firing after a few seconds, waiting for them, and Shepard leaned out and immediately hit it with an Overload, stripping its shields. Liara then destroyed it with a Warp, while Kal and James focused fire on the Engineer, downing his shields and filling him full of holes before he could get into cover. In the lull, Shepard and Liara moved right, finding one more Cerberus log:

"_Resistance Information Update:_

_We've gotten word from our source within Eden Prime's resistance movement that we can expect an attack on our security center between 2200 and 2300 tomorrow night. They're pulling in forces from across the colony - this gives us the perfect chance to destroy their leadership._

_Once the attack is contained, allow Dr. William Cambiata to escape, firing near-miss shots to keep it realistic. He's given us good information, and with luck, the locals will see him as a daring hero and the only man to escape the Cerberus trap. They might even put him in charge!_"

"They even have a man on the inside…" Shepard said.

"Not for long" Liara replied as she sent the data out. "This intel, along with the rest, should give Eden Prime's resistance a real chance to push Cerberus out of their colony."

As the quartet started across the way, two Centurions came out of the building ahead. Shepard immediately hit one of them with an Overload to strip his shields, while the other's shields went down to a few shots from Kal'Reegar's shotgun. A shotgun blast from James took Centurion 2 out, and a barrage of Geth Plasma SMG fire from Liara dealt with Centurion 1. The door to the structure was locked, but Shepard was able to bypass it easily.

"This lab found footage of the Protheans" Liara said. "Cerberus is studying it to figure out how to physically open the pod."

Inside the lab proper, a terminal sat beneath a large display screen. Shepard triggered it, and lines of static formed on the screen. His irises glowed green, as the image and sounds resolved into clarity…

**Eden Prime - ~50,000 Years Ago**

There was chaos throughout the Prothean colony. Structures burned and collapsed as Reapers of various sizes engaged what remained of the Prothean military, their crimson beams vaporizing anyone they hit, as their black metallic hides completely ignored the projectiles and directed-energy beams fired up at them.

In one bunker, Prothean soldiers fired their particle rifles at charging Prothean Husks. A few of the proto-Collectors wielded rifles, and one of them fired a shot that downed one of the Protheans. The commander of the defenders then flickered and glowed with green Biotic energy, lifting two proto-Collectors up and slamming them into a wall, and then unleashing a Shockwave that sent the remainder flying. He then moved to grab his wounded comrade, dragging him back as his fellows maintained fire on the enemy.

"Victory, seal the bulkheads!" he shouted to what looked like a green holographic Prothean.

"Acknowledged" the VI replied.

As the commander dragged his comrade through the closing heavy doors, the others continued firing at the Prothean Husks until finally the doors sealed shut. He stopped to catch his breath as another soldier checked on the fallen one. He gazed out at the fires burning in the bunker, the damaged pods, and scowled.

"How many have we lost?" he asked.

"Reaper forces have destroyed approximately 300,000 lifepods" Victory replied.

The commander knelt down by a pod, opening a small hatch near the 'feet' of the pod's top and keying in a command sequence into the little keypad that emerged. The pod emerged, showing the charred body of another Prothean.

"A third of our people…" he murmured, closing his four eyes and hanging his head.

"Alert," Victory suddenly spoke, "north-side bulkhead cannot be sealed. Hostiles detected."

"All forces to the north!"

The Prothean squad moved out, intent to defend what little remained of their people…

**Present Day**

"I think I can duplicate that to open the lifepod" Shepard said.

"You understood that?" Liara asked.

"You didn't?"

"All we saw and heard was static, Commander" Kal replied.

"Cerberus was trying to make sense of it," Liara said, "without success. …The Prothean Cipher you received on Feros must let you see the images as a Prothean would, and understand their language."

"Whatever it does," Shepard said, "I saw the video, and how they sealed and unsealed the lifepods."

"Perfect. Now we just need the signal they use to activate and deactivate stasis mode."

With that in mind, the quartet made their way back through the building to outside, heading left across the area and up some stairs into another building. In one of the rooms, they found four men dead around a table with food & drinks set up, beneath a big-screen display.

"They were gunned down while having drinks and watching the game…" Shepard said.

"Son of a bitch, this was somebody's _home_" James growled.

They opened the door nearby, to see a squad of Cerberus soldiers led by a Centurion, as well as an Engineer trying to set up a turret. Shepard sniped the Engineer, and then sent out a Combat Drone as he ducked into cover to dodge the return fire, letting the drone's shocker and Incinerate-launcher start softening the enemy up, managing to kill one of the Cerberus troopers. Kal'Reegar hit the Centurion with a Concussive Shot, allowing Shepard to finish him with a Warp, while Liara tossed out a Singularity that left three Troopers vulnerable to a grenade from James. Shepard finished the last Trooper with a Biotic Slam, picking him up and then slamming him into the ground.

With the way clear they moved into the next building ahead, soon finding another lab. Shepard triggered the console, and his eyes glowed a faint green as he watched and listened…

**~50,000 Years Ago**

The Prothean commander walked through the massive hall alongside a civilian.

"I never thought our empire would fall…" the civilian said.

"It won't" the commander told him. "We will sleep here until the Reapers return to dark-space. Then we will rise, a million strong."

"For the empire…"

"For the empire. Get to your stasis pod."

As the civilian hurried away, the Commander kept walking.

"Victory," he said, "broadcast the stasis readiness signal to all lifepods."

"And the refugees who have yet to reach the bunker?" Victory asked, 'walking' alongside the Commander with a holographic representation of the signal.

"…Their sacrifice will be honored in the coming empire."

Suddenly, there was an explosion down the hallway, and proto-Collectors came rushing in. The commander readied his particle rifle…

**Present Day**

"You understood that one, too?" Liara asked.

"Yeah" Shepard replied. "I've got the signal the Protheans used to activate stasis mode."

"Excellent. Then we have everything we need to open the pod."

As they exited the lab, two Cerberus shuttles flew in, dropping off around a dozen hostiles. Shepard tossed out a Singularity that caught three Troopers in the middle of their jump out of one shuttle, allowing him to gun them down with his N7 Hurricane. As the group moved out, Shepard then threw out a Shockwave-Chain that sent flying the pair of approaching Guardians, as well as the Engineer trying to set up a turret in back; a grenade from Kal took out the downed Guardians, while the Engineer got to his feet just in time to take a round between the eyes from Liara's pistol.

The group moved on, and almost walked right into a courtyard occupied by two auto-turrets. Shepard called up his Omnitool and hacked one of them, and it turned its heavy gun on the other turret, destroying it though taking heavy damage; it managed to kill the Engineer as well before the Troopers took it out. James and Kal rushed in next, using their assault rifles and shotguns to clear out the rest. The group climbed a short ladder down to a lower rocky area, went around and up, climbing to the top of another structure's roof, crossed the roof to another ladder, and then went down and finally returned to the pod.

"I'm transmitting the signal" Shepard said as he called up his Omnitool; after a few seconds, a hologram appeared over the foot of the pod.

"It'll take a few moments for the lifepod to process it" Liara said.

"Lots of bogeys inbound!" James pointed at approaching shuttles. "We'll have to hold this position!"

The quartet took cover near the pod, as Cerberus troops started dropping in from the shuttles. Shepard readied his Valiant, and with three pulls of the trigger three Cerberus Troopers went down. As the others got a little closer James and Kal opened fire with their rifles, cutting a few more down; in response, the Cerberus forces focused fire on Kal, forcing him to cease fire and duck down, the beeping of a 'Shield Low' alarm sounding in his ears. Liara used her Geth SMG to down a Centurion's shields, and then a Pull to hoist him into the air for a few shots of Shepard's N7 Eagle to finish off.

A Nemesis appeared on the rooftop, a shot from her Widow narrowly missing Liara's head. In response, Shepard quickly targeted and killed her, the enemy sniper's body landing on top of a Cerberus Trooper below, knocking his aim off so that his shot missed Kal'Reegar's hiding spot. Kal, his shields now recharged, tossed a frag grenade out, killing two Troopers and wounding a third who was quickly gunned down by James. Shepard's Overload de-shielded and stunned another Centurion, and a Warp to the head from Liara finished him off. Shepard caught sight of an Engineer trying to set up a turret, and used his Valiant to put a stop to that. Soon, the last few Troopers of this wave were dealt with, and everything was quiet for a bit.

Then, however, Team Shepard got a nasty surprise as a huge mech stomped onto the scene, its pilot visible behind a durable see-through cockpit canopy. The heavy walker aimed its cannon and fired a shot, almost taking Shepard's head off.

"Are they ever gonna run out of new toys?" Shepard said.

"They call it an Atlas" Liara replied. "And it's going to take a _lot_ to bring down."

Shepard leaned out of cover and hit the Atlas with an Overload, but its heavy shields were only downed by about one-third; it responded by firing another cannon shot at him, keeping him pinned. It then fired a rocket at the group, but Liara used a well-placed and -timed Warp to destabilize the rocket's flight path, sending it careening off to the side to explode harmlessly against a boulder. Shepard sent out a Combat Drone, which hovered in and behind the Atlas, firing shock-blasts at it to further drain its shields and easily flitting out of the way of the mech's attempt to smash it. With concentrated fire from the squad pitching in, the Atlas' shields were soon down.

Shepard and Liara started firing off Warps to weaken the Atlas' armor, aided by fire from Kal's and James' assault rifles. The Combat Drone began shooting Incinerate 'rockets' at the Atlas from behind, helping however it could, until the mech finally managed to hit the construct with a swinging blow, destroying/dispelling it instantly. A Carnage shot from James did a little more damage, the Atlas now shedding sparks and smoke. Finally, a Double-Warp from Liara and Shepard triggered a Biotic explosion that pushed the combat walker over the edge, its power core going off in a powerful explosion that consumed its pilot.

"The pod is ready, Shepard!" Liara reported.

Everyone gathered round, as Shepard opened the little hatch containing a holo-keypad. He keyed in the command, and slots opened on the pod's sides, venting cold gas. The pod opened, revealing the Prothean – angular red armor, two pairs of nostrils, semi-triangular head, and four horizontally-aligned eyes.

"Goddess…" Liara breathed out.

"Give him a little space" Shepard said, he and the other stepping back a bit.

After several seconds, the Prothean stirred, his eyes opening. He then quickly went into motion, climbing out of his pod only to stumble. He picked himself up, and Kal & Liara got out of his way as he staggered toward the cliff edge. Shepard followed.

"Be careful," Liara told Shepard, "he's confused."

The Prothean looked out and around at the world he'd woken up into, a single Prothean structure half-buried in the earth all that remained familiar to him. Shepard approached.

"Remember," Liara called out, "it's been 50,000 years for us, but for him it's only been-"

Shepard touched the Prothean on the shoulder…

**~50,000 Years Ago**

"-a few minutes!" the Prothean was saying in a pleading tone.

"No" Victory replied. "The bunker is falling. There is no other option."

"There are pods online! Those soldiers are still alive!"

"Their sacrifice will be honored in the coming empire. Preparing neutron bombardment. Get to your lifepod _now_."

The Prothean commander growled, but then rushed past a few burning fires and climbed into the lifepod assigned to him, being sealed within.

"_Neutron bombardment underway…_"

The ground shook for several seconds, as explosions raced through the facility. The commander closed his eyes, knowing he was hearing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of his people. Finally, it stopped.

"_The bunker is secured, Commander Javik._"

"What is left of it. A few hundred people… How am I to rebuild an empire from that?"

"_Further adjustments may be necessary. The neutron purge compromised the facility._"

"Clarify."

"_Sensors are damaged. Automated reactivation is not an option. You will remain in stasis until a new culture discovers this bunker. This may lead to a power shortage._"

"Do not shut off more pods! I need the few that are left!"

"_Power needs will be triaged appropriately. You will be the voice of our people._"

"I will be more than that…"

**Present Day**

The Prothean stumbled forward, as Shepard staggered back, his mind briefly reeling from the scene he'd just witnessed.

"…How many others?" the Prothean asked, in perfect though accented English.

"Just you" Shepard replied. "You can understand me?"

"Yes, now that I have read your physiology – your nervous system. Enough to understand your language. The 'cipher' in your brain helped."

"So you were reading me, while I was seeing…"

"Our last moments. Our failure."

Shepard stood beside him. "Your people did everything they could. They never gave up. And we could use some of that commitment now."

"_Shepard,_" Cortez contacted, "_whatever you did got Cerberus interested._"

The Prothean turned to look as the rest of the squad approached.

"Asari, Human, Quarian… I am surrounded by primitives."

"Well, it _has_ been 50,000 years" James said in response.

Javik took a few seconds as the knowledge 'copied' from Shepard's mind translated this figure into a number he was familiar with – to 'Prothean years', as it may. "The next Cycle has begun?"

"Yeah. It started less than a week ago. And every space-faring race is fightin' back as hard as they can."

"Though the human and Batarian homeworlds have already fallen…" Liara added.

"We can give you the full story later" Shepard cut in. "It's not safe here. Will you join us?"

"You fight the Reapers?"

"Yes."

"Then we will see."

**-****_SCENE BREAK_****-**

**_Normandy II _****– Deck 2, War Room, CQE Chamber**

"_A living Prothean?_" Adm. Hackett asked.

"That's correct, Admiral" Shepard replied. "But he's not quite what we expected."

"_Commander, our scientists barely understand what they need to do here. If the Prothean can help us construct this device, we need his cooperation._"

"Understood, Admiral."

"_We're losing colonies faster than we can evacuate. We've never seen a force like the Reapers._"

"He has, Admiral."

"_Can he help us?_"

"I intend to find out."

"_Good. Cerberus slipped up and gave us a new weapon; don't let it go to waste. Hackett out._"

"_Shepard,_" Liara called, "_I need you down in the cargo hold. It's about our new guest._"

-_Break_-

**Deck 4, Port Cargo Room**

"What's the problem?" Shepard asked as he entered the room; a few curtains of sort had been set up, and what looked like two large tanks of water rested against the far wall, on either side of a large display screen. The Prothean sat in a meditative pose further in, while Liara and three armed Alliance marines were in the room as well.

"I've tried to make the room more accommodating," Liara replied, "but they're not letting me talk to him."

"Apologies, Doctor" one of the guards said. "Contact protocol with a new species is 'assume hostility'; we had to dust off the regulations.

"But he's not new. I've spent my life studying the Protheans."

Shepard looked at the old soldier, who after a few seconds looked back. Shepard stepped forward.

"At ease" he told the guards. "I don't think our guest will be a problem." As he stood before the Prothean, the old alien stood up. "Will he?"

"That depends on you" the Prothean replied, and then stepped forward, grabbing Shepard by the upper arms. The guards went on-edge, rifles ready.

"I can sense fear in you," the Prothean said, eyes close, "anxiety and distress. The Reapers are winning."

"What do you mean, 'you sense'?" Shepard asked as the Prothean let go of him and stepped back.

"All life provides clues for those who can read them. It is in your cells, your DNA. Experience is a biological marker."

As the Prothean walked over to one of the water tanks, running his hand through it, Shepard signaled the guards to back off.

"Then what exactly did I experience back on Eden Prime?" Shepard asked. "That was a hell of a flashback."

"The battle left its own mark on me. I 'communicated' this to you. It can work both ways."

"Like your beacons?" Liara asked.

The Prothean turned to face them, a bit of surprise in him. "Yes. Which…?"

He grabbed Shepard again, and the horrific sights and sounds of the Eden Prime Beacon filled his mind. He stepped back, a bit in shock.

"…You found one" he said. "You saw it all – our destruction, our warnings… Why weren't they heeded? Why didn't you prepare for the Reapers, human?-!"

"It's Shepard – Commander Jason Shepard. And there are two reasons. First, nobody could _understand_ your warnings; the Eden Prime Beacon was damaged and nearly killed me. The specialists said any lesser mind would have been destroyed, which _has happened_ with other Beacons in the past. In a few really unlucky cases, the Beacons caused fatal brain damage."

"Then communication is still primitive in this cycle… What was your 'other' reason?"

Shepard scowled. "Politics. In this cycle, a council of representatives from each 'dominant' race oversees the galaxy. I had no proof, and the Beacon blew up after uploading the 'message' to me. Even after a Command-subtype Reaper attacked the Citadel three years ago, accompanied by an Indoctrinated Spectre agent and an army of synthetics, the Council denied the threat, deeming the Reaper a ship of those synthetics' make, and blaming the entire incident on the rogue agent."

He called up his Omnitool, playing an audio file:

"_Ah yes, 'Reapers'_" Councilor Sparatus' voice was heard, dripping with incredulous sarcasm. "_The immortal rate of sapient starships allegedly waiting in dark space. *Scoff* We have dismissed that ridiculous claim._"

"_There is no reason to believe Sovereign was not a Geth ship_" Valern's voice joined in.

"_As far as the rest of the galaxy is concerned, Shepard,_" Tevos' voice added, "_the Reapers exist only in your mind._"

"_Precisely_" Sparatus said_. _"_If you want to go believing that ludicrous fairy-tale, that's your problem, not ours._"

Javik let out an animalistic growl, so angry that his Biotic power began to flare a little, a faint green aura clinging to him.

"Around four months ago, however," Shepard continued, "I finally obtained proof of the Reapers' existence – footage and data from an Alliance/Quarian/Batarian fleet that engaged a scouting party of Reapers, and a conversation I had with the Reapers' leader, Harbinger."

"_YOUR TIME WILL COME. YOUR SPECIES __**WILL**__ FALL. PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR THE ARRIVAL…_"

"_That_ finally got the Councilors to listen to me and accept that the Reapers were real. That's why we're doing so poorly against the Reapers; we've only been preparing for them in full for around four months, because everyone else besides me and a few dozen others refused to believe they even _existed_ until then."

"…This is worse – and more infuriating – than I could have imagined. To have the dominant powers of this cycle not only ignorant of the Reapers, but actively denying they even exist until practically the last minute?"

"Three years ago, we managed to stop the Command-type Reaper called Sovereign from opening the Citadel Relay; we delayed the invasion. In actuality, a lot of their invasion plans have been foiled by various factors for almost 3,000 years now. They're desperate, and have resorted to an all-out attack on the galaxy, knowing they'll take heavier losses than they've ever taken before. Unfortunately, it's working; even with the Reapers we're managing to kill, there's just too many of them."

"And now we have the plans for your people's device" Liara chimed in. "We're going to build it."

"…Device?"

Liara called the blueprint up on the screen. "The weapon your people were working on. I'd hoped you could tell us how to complete it."

The Prothean looked closely at the screen. "…We never finished it. It was too late."

"Then I take it you don't know anything about the Catalyst?" Shepard asked.

"No. I was a soldier, not a scientist, skilled in one art: killing."

"What was your mission?" Liara asked.

"Among my people, there were… avatars of many traits: bravery, strength, cunning – a single exemplar for each."

"Which are you?" Shepard asked.

"The embodiment of vengeance. I am the anger of a dead people, demanding blood be spilled for the blood we lost. Only when the last Reaper has been destroyed will my purpose be fulfilled. I have no other reason to exist. Those who share my purpose become allies; those who do not become casualties."

Shepard signaled the guards to leave. "Nothing in our fight against the Reapers has been that cut-and-dried" he told the Prothean.

"Because you still have hope that this war will end with your honor intact."

"I do."

"Stand in the ashes of a trillion dead souls, and ask the ghosts if honor matters. The silence you'll hear is your answer."

Liara walked over to a small Prothean-looking construct on a table – a black rectangular thing with a glowing blue line running through it, about 10 inches in size. "We found this at the dig site" she said. "I assume it belongs to you."

"It is a memory shard" the Prothean replied.

"Could it help us with the device?"

"…No. It contains only pain." He looked to Shepard. "But I will help you fight. And the last thing the Reapers hear before they die… will be the last voice of the Protheans sending them to their grave."

"…If you don't mind, I have a few more questions I'd like to ask."

"Here it comes…" Shepard murmured.

"I'm a xeno-archeologist, and have been studying the Prothean culture for decades. I've written over a dozen studies, publishes several journals…"

"I awaken in a time where all that is left of my civilization is ruins speculated over by archeologists… What do you wish to know?"

"Is there anything more you can tell us about the device your people were trying to build?" Shepard asked.

"We heard only stories. They said our scientists were constructing a great machine that had the power to defeat the Reapers."

"You never saw it?"

"By that point, the empire was smashed into pieces. None of us knew what the others were doing."

"Well," Liara replied, "if we don't finish it soon, the same will be true of us."

"…Liara here would never forgive me if I didn't ask" Shepard said. "What was Prothean civilization like?"

"Yes, I've always wondered. What sort of government did you have? And can you tell me anything about your people's religious beliefs? Or perhaps-"

"We are dead now" the Prothean interrupted. "What does it matter?"

"I'm… sorry. Studying your civilization has been a lifelong passion of mine."

"When I was born, our empire was already in the midst of war with the Reapers. The first thing I remember is seeing my planet on fire."

"What was your civilization like _before_ the Reaper attack?" Shepard asked.

"We were the dominant race of our cycle. We ruled the galaxy."

"My studies indicated that the Protheans were the only race engaged in space travel at the time" Liara said. "I always found that curious."

"We were one empire composed of many subjects. All, regardless of birth species, eventually called themselves 'Prothean'."

"What if they didn't want to?" Shepard asked.

"They weren't given a choice."

"Are you saying you enslaved the other species?"

"Any could oppose us if they wished. And if they had won, _they_ would have ruled. Many tried; none succeeded."

"I had no idea Protheans were so… severe" Liara said.

"It was by necessity. Very early, we encountered the dangers posed by machine intelligence. They rebelled against us. We could not allow the machines to surpass us. It was decided the only way to win was to unite all organic life within our empire."

"Did it work?" Liara asked.

"For a time. The 'Metacon War' – we were turning the tide. But then the Reapers arrived. Then, we understood that machines had surpassed us long ago in ways we could never imagine."

"What can you tell us about your own war with the Reapers?" Shepard asked.

"Many of the details were lost" the Prothean replied. "The conflict lasted for centuries. Those who faced the Reapers at the beginning were long dead when I was born. There were memory shards, however, passed down from soldier to soldier. They gave us fragments of what happened."

"Why do you think your own cycle lost the war?"

"What had been our strength – our empire – became a liability. All races conformed to one doctrine, one strategy. The Reapers exploited this. Once they found our weaknesses, we could not adapt. The subservient races became divided and confused. Then, it was only a matter of time."

"I'm happy to say our cycle is different" Liara said. "Most races cooperate, but they still remain unique culturally and in military doctrine."

"That may be your only hope…"

"How did your people wage war against the Reapers?" Shepard asked.

"Attrition. We fought them system by system, planet by planet, city by city. Entire worlds were sacrificed just to slow the Reapers down; time they spent harvesting a population was time we could regroup."

"That must've cost you in the long run."

"Yes. Our own people were Indoctrinated, converted, then turned against us. But there was no choice. Mercy is not a weapon; it is a weakness."

"Three years ago," Shepard said, "we found a Prothean VI that called itself 'Vigil' on the planet Ilos. He was the caretaker of a research project."

"During my life, Ilos was only a rumor. It was said we had cities there, built on the ruins of the Inusannon, the civilization before us from whose ruins we discovered mass-effect technology. If our scientists did have a research facility, whatever they were doing was secret from everyone else."

"Yes," Liara replied, "Vigil said they wiped all traces of themselves from the records so the Reapers couldn't find them."

"The scientists eventually went into cryogenic stasis" Shepard said.

"More of my people survived?"

"No; by the time it was safe for them to awaken, there were far too few of them left to maintain the genetic diversity needed to keep their species going. They ended up giving their lives to make it so the Reapers couldn't remotely activate the Citadel Relay. It delayed their invasion by a few thousand years."

"…I never saw the Citadel. It was captured long before I was born."

"Back on Eden Prime, it looked like there were other stasis pods. What happened?"

"The empire had fallen, and we knew our cycle was lost. We were the final vanguard, the best soldiers left alive."

"So more of you were supposed to survive into this cycle?" Liara asked.

"Yes. Under my leadership, a new Prothean empire would have arisen. We would have commanded the races of your time to prepare for the next Reaper invasion. But traitors within our ranks – Indoctrinated agents – betrayed us, and the Reapers discovered our plan."

"Just out of curiosity," Shepard said, "how would you have 'commanded' us?"

"By leaving you no other option. You would have joined our army, or faced the Reapers alone."

"We've uncovered quite a few Prothean ruins. Were you observing our ancestors?"

"Before the war, we cultivated species who showed potential. Eventually, you would have been offered a… choice to join the empire. But when the Reapers attacked, we ceased all study. We hoped they would see you as too primitive to harvest."

"Well thanks, I think. …We've never met a species with this sensory ability you have."

"It was common among my people; imparting experience through touch, the chemistry of life. Complicated ideas could be absorbed in seconds."

"That sounds very useful" Liara said.

"We evolved as hunters. Reading a thousand details in our environment ensured our survival."

"So it's basically touch-based telepathy and psychometry" Shepard said. "No actual races in this galaxy have it, but it's been touched before in works of fiction, so the concept isn't _entirely_ foreign. …I'm beginning to understand the beacons a bit more."

"We eventually developed the technology to harness our ability. Information could be stored in certain objects through touch. Memory has its own biomarker, its own chemistry, as do knowledge and skills; the beacons could 'remember' these things."

"Things like Reaper invasions."

"Yes, I can still sense the turmoil within you. Witnessing the extinction of our empire… The fabric of your being was forever marked that day."

"…Well, thank you for talking with me. I never imagined actually meeting a Prothean."

"This has been… amusing."

"Oh?"

"To discover the most primitive races of my time now rule the galaxy – The Asari, the Humans, the Turians…"

"There's also the Salarians" Liara said.

"The lizard people evolved?"

"I believe they're amphibian. They're one of the four dominant powers of the present age."

"…They used to eat flies… Commander, you may count on me. I am known as Javik. Though I still need time to recover; the… shock has not worn off yet."

"I understand" Shepard replied. "This must be a hell of an experience for you. We're just glad to have you aboard, Javik. While you're down here, I'd suggest you go over some archived data-footage – learn more about this realm's 'recent' history and about a coalition called the Dimensional Defense Force…"

**-****_Break_****-**

"So," Joker said, "a Prothean? A real, live Prothean? Has Liara stopped bouncing yet? I'm guessing there may have been some bouncing."

"He's a bit more… severe than we expected" Shepard replied.

"Ah, another of _those_ types, eh?"

Shepard moved down to the CIC, finding Specialist Traynor at work on her console.

"Those poor colonists on Eden Prime…" she said. "First the Geth attack, now Cerberus. For what it's worth, our new crewmember doesn't need a translator himself, but he shared a Prothean language tutor program. It was apparently designed for servant races being inducted into the empire. _Charming_ cultural clue… Oh, and Commander, the Alliance has found a Cerberus lab on Sanctum. Admiral Hackett would like you to investigate…"

**-****_ SCENE BREAK_****-**

**Sigurd's Cradle → Decoris System → Sanctum**

**Data: **"**_Sanctum_**_ is known for the freezing ice storms which sweep across its poles and temperate zones, with only a thin strip of habitable land along the equator. Because of those harsh living conditions, Sanctum attracts only the most gruff and hardy, from miners to mercenaries to company men. Mining, referred to as "ice-cracking" anywhere but the equator, is the backbone of Sanctum's economy. The planet is rich in platinum and palladium deposits, as well as boron, which is locally used in semiconductor doping.  
Sanctum's corporate factions have learned that Cerberus is involved in the planet's finances. Systems Alliance intelligence agents embedded within the corporate strata are quietly urging the companies to confront Cerberus directly, but so far, financial bickering has kept Sanctum's major stakeholders from acting against the Illusive Man.  
TRAVEL ADVISORY: Carbon dioxide levels on Sanctum can reach 5,000 parts per million during thermal inversions. Travelers should carry a breath mask at all times and consult the Sanctum World Weather Service for warnings. TRAVEL ADVISORY: Piracy is at a 14-year global high on Sanctum. Visitors should take appropriate security precautions._"

As the UT-47A Kodiak descended through the freezing wind, carrying Commander Shepard, Asa, and Kal'Reegar, Shepard stepped into the cockpit as Admiral Hackett appeared on-screen.

"_Shepard, we've uncovered a secret Cerberus lab – function unknown. We sent in a recon team, but they were forced to pull out before they got very far._"

"Any other intel?" Shepard asked.

"_We think they're using the facility to warehouse and study Reaper tech. We've been wondering how Cerberus is connected to the Reapers, and this might give us some answers._"

"We're on it."

"_Find out what Cerberus is doing, and get me any Reaper tech samples you can, Commander. Hackett out._"

-_Break_-

The Kodiak took position hovering right next to the landing pad, dropping off its three armed passengers.

"_I'm tracking some tech with a Reaper signature_" Cortez radioed them. "_That's your first sample to grab. Updating your NavPoint._"

The trio moved into the facility, catching a trio of Cerberus Troopers by surprise, and Shepard hosed them down with his N7 Hurricane. He moved to the console bypassing the containment shield to reveal an artifact around 10 inches tall.

"That's Reaper tech, alright" Kal'Reegar said.

"We've got the sample, Cortez."

"_Gotcha. Meet you at the landing pad._"

On the way out, a Centurion jumped them, but Shepard zapped him with an Overload and then slashed across his chest with an Omniblade strike. They hurried outside, dropping the sample off in the shuttle, and then headed back in, following another Nav-Point. The next artifact was in a lower level, and this time it was guarded by a pair of Centurions and an Engineer, the latter of which had already set up an auto-turret. Shepard simply hacked the turret, letting it kill one of the Centurions and wound the Engineer before it was destroyed. Asa used her Lancer to finish the Engineer off, while Kal charged in and fired a few shotgun blasts to kill the other Centurion. On the way to the artifact, they found a terminal with two entries by someone called "C. Talavi":

"_Finally here. Wow, the troops here are really intense. No one smiles. Ever. And suicide-on-capture orders? Seriously? They call training "integration". I start being "integrated" tomorrow. Can't wait._"

"_Integration successful. Suicide-on-capture orders confirmed. Cerberus is my friend. Obey. Protect humanity. At any cost._"

"So they're indoctrinating their soldiers, in a way" Asa said.

"Probably using Reaper tech to do it" Kal'Reegar said. "No way that won't bite them in the ass further down the line."

Shepard moved to the console, bypassing the security and obtaining the little artifact.

"Cortez, second sample secured. Heading back to you now."

"_Negative, Commander. Pad got hot. Had to bug out. Got three birds on my six; taking fire! …Scratch that, make it four. Will rendezvous when I can. Out_."

"We need to hold out until Cortez can pick us up!" Shepard told the other two.

Cerberus troops started dropping in outside, as well as emerging from further in the facility. Shepard sent out a Combat Drone to even the odds a little, the construct firing Incinerate blasts at anything in its sights. Shepard moved up the stairs, using his N7 Eagle to take out a trio of Cerberus Troopers. Moving into a room on the right, he found a terminal with some data.

"Failed medigel experiment…" he read. "Hmm… 'Will only lead to medigal enhancement for Hanar'. Only Cerberus would call that a failure."

He grabbed the data and then hurried back down, just as Kal'Reegar fired a Concussive Shot to stun an Assault Trooper who Shepard used his Eagle to kill. Asa used her magic to yank a Guardian's shield out of his grasp, and then her pistol to finish him off. The Combat Drone kept zapping and blasting, until a grenade from a Centurion took it out; Shepard gunned the Centurion down with his Hurricane.

"Cortez, do you copy? What's your status?"

"_Engaging multiple targets. Time for something a bit risky. Wish me luck!_"

"I hope he makes it…" Asa said.

"Let's just keep the landing pad clear."

The trio moved out onto the landing pad, taking position behind some crates. Shepard summoned another Combat Drone as a fresh wave of Cerberus troops came out of the facility. He tossed out a Shockwave Chain that sent three Troopers flying, and then a grenade to finish them off, while Asa fired a bolt of destructive raw magic that acted like a Warp, slaying another Trooper who'd been trying to flank the group. Kal'Reegar kept firing controlled bursts of his assault rifle to help then the enemy out some more, occasionally firing Concussive Shots to keep them off-balance.

"_Commander, had to go dark-side to shake 'em. Coming in hot; be ready!_"

Within seconds, the Kodiak swooped in, its side door opening. The trio leapt in, dodging fire sent their way by Cerberus soldiers, and the Kodiak closed up and shot off into the sky.

**-****_Break_****-**

**QEC Room**

"_Commander, we've got our best engineers looking at the Reaper tech you secured from that lab._"

"What was Cerberus doing with it?"

"_We don't know yet, but whatever they're up to can't be good; we read that excerpt you sent us from their one recent member… Even if we can't determine its purpose, we've disrupted their experiments._"

"I doubt they'll just close up shop."

"_Agreed. We'll keep sending strikes against the facility. Good work, Commander._"

**-****_SCENE BREAK_****-**

**The Citadel**

Having dropped off the medigel data he found at Huerta Memorial, Shepard was heading back through the Docks to return to his ship, when…

"Commander! Wait please!"

He turned to find Sarah coming up to him again, this time accompanied by a familiar little girl.

"Commander," Erika said, "w-we want to accompany you t-to Palaven. We…. We need to find our sister."

"I can't take not knowing whether Marie is still alive and alright or not any longer" Sarah said. "Please, Shepard, take us with you for this."

"T-Timmy and Mariko are still h-helping Kaidan down in the refugee center, s-so they'll be fine while I'm gone. So, please…"

Shepard thought for a few seconds. "Alright. And I'll help you look if I can. But promise me you can keep it together in a fight."

"Yes, Commander" the two girls replied.

He smiled "Very well. Come on; we're about to head out."

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: Going to Palaven…'s moon Menae, and also maybe (as in, either next or next-after-next chapter) some more developments in the other realms that are being hit by the Reapers.


	5. Seeking the Primarch

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Realm ME-N7 – Apien Crest Cluster, Trebia System, Orbit Over Palaven**

**CODEX: **"_When the Turians were introduced to the galactic community, an Asari diplomat poetically described their homeworld, __**Palaven**__, as "a silver world of fortresses and fire." Because Palaven's weak magnetic field is a poor shield from its sun, most of the planet's animal life developed metallic carapaces as defenses against solar radiation. Its photosynthetic life is similarly impressive, shutting down vulnerable metabolic processes during daylight hours and repairing cellular damage at night. The visible fortifications of Turian cities reflect their martial society, but since joining the galactic community, internal conflicts have become honor-bound affairs with few casualties among noncombatants. These city fortifications have proven no match for the Reapers and their aggressive bombardment of Palaven._"

**SCAN: **"_"The only things on this planet that aren't silver are the Turians. It's all too clear they're made of steel." These were Alliance hero Jon Grissom's impressions of the Turian homeworld Palaven, seen by humans for the first time following the First Contact War. The Turians' martial attitude permeates every aspect of Palaven society, from architecture to art to politics. It's no surprise that their homeworld was never occupied by an invading force until now. The Reapers, aware of their enemy's reputation, brought overwhelming force to Palaven and did not hesitate to bombard cities that resisted - and all of them resisted. The dust and smoke from pulverized cities is now a breathing hazard across much of the planet. Water and power supplies have all but vanished. Still, the fight here has cost the Reapers dearly.  
ALLIANCE TRAVEL ADVISORY: Palaven's weak magnetic field means solar radiation levels are greater than those found on other habitable worlds. Human visitors are advised to wear enviro-suits or other radiation protection when visiting Palaven._"

A sizable fleet of Turian warships – their angular designs with large wings making them look like giant fighter craft – moved in formation, pointing at the large force of Reapers standing between them and their burning homeworld. After a few seconds, once firing solutions were calculated, the ships opened fire. The railgun-accelerated projectiles, traveling at 0.013c, took around 2.05 seconds to hit their targets, pounding against the Reapers' energy shields (a pity they didn't have MACs; UNSC coilgun shots, at 0.4c, would traverse the same distance in ~0.065 seconds, before the Reapers had time to see them coming); the ancient mechanical abominations moved forward in response, closing with the Turian fleet and ignoring the hits they took – a few Destroyers were lost, but the massive Dreadnoughts withstood. Once they got close enough, the Reapers' crimson beams lanced out, beginning to carve through the Turian warships, often in just one shot each, all as the Turian vessels continued firing as well, hoping to take a few Dreadnoughts out before being forced to retreat again.

Farther out from the planet, a lone 170m stealth-attack frigate dropped out of FTL, observing the battle from afar but heading for a different target: the large silvery moon straight ahead, with signs of battle on its surface visible even this far out.

**-****_Break_****-**

**UT-47A Kodiak shuttle, descending through Manae's atmosphere**

**CODEX: **"**_Menae_**_ is one of two moons orbiting the Turian homeworld of Palaven. The Turian Hierarchy put Menae in the hands of the military soon after their spacecraft first landed on the moon, immediately halting civilian research and exploration. Menae's geological composition and specifications have been classified ever since. These days, a few active naval bases dot the moonscape, as well as infantry installations focused on extreme survival training. The mystery of Menae is a lasting fascination for many Turian citizens. Speculation about its presumably rare and valuable resources has become a common plot point in films, novels, and even poetry for young Turians._"

**SCAN: **"_Palaven's largest moon has been shrouded in secrecy since the dawn of the Turian space age. During the Krogan Rebellions, the Hierarchy classified nearly all data on Menae, and its sister moon Nanus, because they feared the Krogans could use the moons as weapons by smashing them into Palaven's surface. However, some information has leaked out. Images of Turian bases where personnel walk without enviro-suits indicate advanced infrastructure, likely a network of subterranean tunnels with powerful mass-effect field generators that retain heat and atmosphere over swaths of the surface.  
The Reapers' plans for bombarding the bases were met with fierce resistance by the Turian fleet and the moon's anti-aerospace defenses. With their easy victory stalled, the Reapers deployed a variety of ground units to take the bases one at a time. The Turians are the superior force, but the Reapers have the patience to slowly grind them down. With every base captured, the Reapers deny the Turian fleet another place to repair or refuel._"

The shuttle, its stealth systems active, descended as it flew over the moon. In it were Shepard, Liara, James, Sarah, and Erika; among the latter two, Sarah wore her energy-shielded Barrier Jacket – almost identical in appearance to her civilian outfit, with dark-blue pants and brown jacket over a green shirt – and carried her customized (a scope and a single-shot/burst-fire/full-auto options switch) COG M2 Lancer and her gravity hammer, while Erika had formed her Keyblade Armor – also shielded – with the helmet currently off/dispelled, and had her Sangheili T33 Needler, in addition to being able to summon her Keyblade at a moment's notice.

"Oh no…" Liara was eyeing a display screen showing the Turian homeworld and the fleet battle taking place over it. "Palaven…"

"Holy hell…" James breathed out. "They're gettin' slaughtered…"

"B-Being able to actually see f-fires from orbit…" Erika murmured. "That's a really bad sign."

'Marie, Garrus…' Sarah thought. 'Please, let them be safe…'

"The strongest military in this galaxy," Shepard said, "and the Reapers are steadily obliterating it."

"Was it like this on Earth?" Liara asked him.

"Worse."

"I'm so sorry…"

"Commander!" Cortez called back. "The LZ is getting swarmed!"

"James, open the portside hatch" Shepard ordered.

Everyone got up out of their seats, readying weapons. The hatch opened as the Kodiak flew low and slow past a cliffside, which had several Husks climbing up it. Shepard fired an Incinerate blast that killed one, while Sarah picked off two more with a few burst-fire shots from her scoped Lancer. A handful of pink crystals were launched by Erika's Needler, embedding in one Husk's back and blowing it apart, while Shepard killed another with a Warp. The Kodiak came around and set down near an outpost, where two Turian soldiers were firing on the approaching hostiles as well.

"Alright," Shepard said, "get in and get out. Let's move!"

Everyone jumped out, keeping up fire on the Husks. James switched to his shotgun, blowing away a few that rushed at him, while Sarah used her Lancer on full-auto to gun down three more. Liara threw out a Shockwave that knocked a handful away, and Erika threw a grenade that finished the downed cyber-zombies off. The last few of the wave were taken out by Shepard's N7 Hurricane, and he then turned to the Turians.

"Soldier," he asked one, "which way to your commanding officer?"

"Around the corner, past the first barricade" the man replied.

Shepard nodded, and the team moved on, hearing the distant firing of a Reaper weapon. They very quickly reached the barricade, which lowered to allow them inside the 'base'. Turians moved about, checking supplies, grabbing or swapping weapons and ammo, tending to wounded and placing sheets over the dead. In one of the little open-air structures, an older Turian in dark-red armor was looking over a holographic table, while speaking to two other Turians.

"Tobestik," he said to the silver-armored Turian, "get your men up on that north barricade. Sergeant Bartus," he told the black- and yellow-armored one, "find a way to get that comm. tower operational."

"General?" Shepard asked as the team walked up.

"Commander Shepard. Heard you were coming, but I didn't believe it. General Corinthus."

"We've come to get Primarch Fedorian."

Corinthus was silent for a few seconds, his head hanging. "Primarch Fedorian is dead. His shuttle was shot down an hour ago as it tried to leave Menae."

"That's going to complicate things… How bad is it, General?"

"We just lost about 400 men in half an hour. We set up camps on this moon as an advance position, to flank the enemy. A sound strategy, but…"

"Irrelevant against enemies of this scale" Shepard finished.

"Exactly. The sheer force of the Reapers seems to make them immune to that sort of tactic. The Primarch and his men found that out the hard way."

"I'm sorry. I hear he was a good man."

"And a friend. He would have been an outstanding diplomat."

"So what happens now?"

"The Turian Hierarchy provides very clear lines of succession" Liara replied.

"Right. General Corinthus?"

"With such heavy casualties," the General said, "it's hard for me to be certain who the next Primarch is. Palaven Command will know. However, at the moment contacting them is impossible; the comm. tower is out. Husks are swarming that area; we can't get close enough to repair it."

"Don't worry, General. We'll get your tower operational."

"Thank you, Commander. I'll take care of things on this end."

The team moved out toward the far exit; they had a good view of Palaven and the comm. tower, as well as a Reaper Dreadnought a handful of kilometers away; judging by its motions, the metal beast was trying to kill a Turian force attacking it by physically stepping on them, judging them not even worthy of its guns. As the team moved through the gateway and climbed up a short ridge, they met up with and passed a pair of Turians – Sgt. Bartis and a Private – gunning down a pair of Husks.

As they approached the comm. tower, a pack of Husks waiting at its base saw them and moved to attack. Erika fired her Needler at the one in the center of the charging pack, and the resulting super-combine explosion took out three of the tightly-packed hostiles; Shepard's pistol took the rest. A few more Husks climbed up behind them as they drew close to the tower, and Liara's Geth Plasma SMG took them out before they could get close.

"We can't repair the tower from this panel" Shepard said, looking over an interface terminal at the tower's base. "Liara, go up there, see what you can do."

"Alright. If you can keep Husks from climbing up after me, I'd appreciate it."

As the Asari went up the ladder, the rest of the team got ready as another wave of Husks began climbing up the cliff-sides and charging. James' & Sarah's assault rifles and Shepard's SMG opened up on the rushing cyber-zombies, and as they drew close Erika summoned the Stroke of Midnight, firing a Blizzara spell that froze one Husk that was then shattered by a Carnage shot from James. A Husk tried to grapple Sarah from the side, only for her to introduce it to the business end of her rifle's chainsaw-bayonet. Shepard and Erika fired Incinerate-blasts and Fira-spells to further cull the enemy's numbers, and when James shotgun-blasted the lower half off a Husk the top half kept snarling and clawing its way toward him, only for Sarah to shoot it in the head. Soon Liara slid back down the ladder, having completed repairs.

"General, do you read?" Shepard said. "The comm. tower is now operational."

"_Much appreciated, Commander. I'll contact Palaven Command._"

"Lemme know when you've got something. I'll help your men 'til I hear from you."

Another wave of Husks arrived via Reaper drop-pods. Shepard and Liara tossed out a pair of Singularities that snatched up a fair few of them; a Carnage blast from James and a Needler super-combine explosion from Erika took the floating Husks out. A few more attacked from the right, and Sarah & Liara covered that side, Lancer and plasma-SMG cutting flanking Husks down as the others focused on the main frontal charge. Shepard fired his N7 Hurricane until the current clip ran dry, and when a Husk tried to rush him while he was reloading he formed his Omniblade and cut the cyber-zombie's head off. The last few Husks tried a desperate rush, but James' shotgun put a stop to that.

"_Commander Shepard, come in._"

"Go ahead."

"_I have information from Palaven Command. Please return ASAP._"

"On our way."

With the way clear, the trip back from the tower was much quicker than the trip to it, and everyone gathered near the General.

"What have you got?" Shepard asked.

"As your partner said," Corinthus replied, "succession is usually simple. But right now, the Hierarchy's in chaos – so many dead or MIA."

"I need someone; I don't care who, as long as they can get us the Turian resources we need."

"We're on it, Shepard" a familiar newcomer replied. "We'll find you the Primarch."

The two newcomers were a Turian and a human. The Turian was wearing blue and silver armor, the right side of his exposed face showing partially-healed scars, a Phaeston assault rifle and an M92 Mantis slung across his back. The human was a teen girl, short at around 5'3", with long brown hair that had a few sweeping 'spikes' sticking out in either direction from the main body of it, wearing a black jacket over a light-grey shirt and dark-grey pants, armored boots, and her currently-inactive Device in the form of a purple-hued glove/gauntlet on her right arm with a purple gem on the back of the hand.

"Hey, Commander" she said. "Fancy seeing you guys here."

"Garrus! Marie!" Shepard said with a smile. "You're alright!"

"Vakarian, sir" Corinthus said. "I didn't see you arrive…"

"At ease, General."

Before anything else could be done or said, Marie was pulled into a very tight hug by Sarah, the taller sister holding on as tight as she could, murmuring 'Thank God' and rocking her back & forth softly, overcome with relief at seeing her sibling alive and unharmed. Marie, understanding her relief, returned the embrace, while Erika dispelled her armor to join in. The others watched with smiles, though Corinthus was a bit confused.

"Siblings" Garrus explained to him.

"Ah."

"Good to see you two again" Shepard said. "I thought you'd be on Palaven."

"If we lose this moon," Garrus replied, "we lose Palaven. I'm the closest damn thing we have to an expert on Reaper forces, so I'm… advising."

"James," Shepard introduced his newer squadmate, "this is Garrus Vakarian. He helped me stop Saren as well as the Collectors. He's a hell of a soldier."

Garrus nodded. "Lieutenant." He shifted gaze to the Asari. "Good to see you too, Liara."

"It's good to see you in one piece, Garrus."

"And the rest of the 'Swanson Sisters', too. Marie's been worried sick about you."

"W-We've been on the Citadel since a-a few days before the invasion started" Erika replied. "We're fine."

"Good" Marie said. "…Where are the others?"

Sarah finally let the hug loosen a bit to look (down) at her sister. "The Reapers have managed to force open a half-dozen warp rifts to hit six DDF planets _outside_ this realm. All the others of Gamma Team are on those planets…"

"…What?" Marie was confused and worried.

"They're hitting Midchilda – where Teana is, Shakuras – which has Ahsoka & Shion, Equestria – where Mai's currently at, Lucavos – Kaede's there, as well as Cybertron and Sanghelios. We haven't heard anything from any of them."

Marie stepped back, worry etched into her features. 'K… Kaede and Tia…'

"What reports Hackett has gotten say the Reapers can't get past the Sangheili Navy to hit Sanghelios, and none of the other five worlds are being hit quite as hard as Palaven is" Shepard said. "And since you survived here…"

"I… I hope… We… We've gotta put that in the backs of our minds for now, I guess. We've got something more immediate to do."

"General Corinthus filled us in" Garrus said. "We know who we're after."

"Palaven Command tells me that the next Primarch is General Adrien Victus" Gen. Corinthus spoke up.

"Victus?" Liara asked. "His name's crossed my desk."

"Know him, Garrus?" Shepard asked.

"I was fighting alongside him this morning. Lifelong military; gets results, popular with his troops. …Not so popular with military command; has a reputation for playing loose with accepted strategy."

"What do you mean?"

"On Taetrus," Liara explained, "during the uprisings, his squad discovered a Salarian spy ring about the same time the Turian separatists did. Rather than neutralize the ring, he fell back. He even gave up valuable fortifications, which the rebels took."

"Then," Garrus continued, "the rebels attacked the Salarians. And when both groups had worn each other down, Victus moved back in. Didn't lose a man."

"Bold strategy," Corinthus chimed in, "but wild behavior doesn't get you advanced up the meritocracy."

"Primarch Victus… That should be something to see."

"You think he can get the job done?" Shepard asked.

"We both know conventional strategy won't beat the Reapers. Right now, he could be our best shot. And I trust him."

"Okay. Let's get him on the shuttle and get out of here."

"_Commander!_" Joker radioed. "_Shepard, come in!_"

"Can this wait, Joker? We're in the middle of a warzone."

"_We've got a situation on the _Normandy_, Commander. It's like she's possessed – shutting down systems, powering up weapons… I can't find the source._"

"I need the _Normandy_ standing by; we may have to bug out."

"Should I go back and take a look?" Liara asked.

"Do it. Garrus, you said you were with Victus this morning?"

"Yeah," the Turian replied as Liara ran off, "but we got separated. He went to bolster a flank that was breaking. He could be anywhere out there."

"We're trying to raise him, Commander" Corinthus said.

"Incoming Harvester!" James suddenly shouted.

A massive winged creature flew overhead. Soldiers' weapons and autoguns fired up at it as it passed, and Marie formed Charon into the Intelligent Device's active mode and fired a concussion missile while Erika re-summoned her armor and fired her Needler, but the shots either missed or did little damage to the airborne beast's thick hide. Shepard recognized it as a Husk-ified version of those long-necked flyers he saw on Tarith and Tuchanka during his last adventure.

"It's heading for the airfield!" Marie said.

"General," Shepard said, "tell Primarch Victus we'll rendezvous here. In the meantime, we'll go take care of whatever that thing dropped off. Coming, Garrus?"

"Do you even need to ask?" the veteran replied.

The sextet hurried over to the airfield, where a few Turian fighter craft were 'parked' amongst crates and rocks.

"James," Shepard said, "is that you breathing so hard?"

"Atmosphere's a little thinner than I'm used to, is all" Vega replied. "Adrenaline's better than oxygen any day."

Reaper drop-pods came in, dropping off a force of Husks. However, in addition to the standard human-Husks, there were two larger and different-looking ones, clad in armor and carrying assault rifles that they quickly showed themselves capable of using.

"Is it just me," Sarah said, "or do those ones look like Turians?"

"Yeah, we call 'em Marauders" Garrus replied as he sniped a Husk's head off. "Turian Husks"

Shepard fired his N7 Eagle at one Marauder, only to reveal that it had an energy shield. So he hit it with an Overload and _then_ shot it, and that did the trick. The other Marauder held its hand up, and tendrils of dark-red energy shot out and enveloped a Husk, forming into a sort of armor. Marie blasted the Marauder with a charged Wave-Bolt shot, stripping its shields and damaging it enough that a few assault-rifle rounds from Garrus took it down. A Needler super-combine blast from Erika took out the armored Husk, while James' shotgun and Sarah's assault rifle helped cut down the normal ones. Another wave climbed up from the cliff-edge ahead, and Shepard sent out a Biotic Shockwave that knocked half of them right back over. Two more Marauders dropped in, and Garrus took out one with a Mantis headshot while did the same to the other with his Valiant. Sarah's Lancer and Power-Bolt shots from Marie's Device made short work of the rest.

"I think we're done here" James said.

"_Shepard, come in._"

"Go ahead."

"_Still trying to raise the Primarch, but we've got trouble back here at the main barricade. If the Reapers breach it, we're done._"

"On our way!"

Again the team rushed back into and through the base, heading for the tall metal-and-rock walls that formed the main barricade. Everyone climbed (or chakra-leapt, in the case of the Swanson sisters) up and took positions, Shepard manning the mounted turret. A horde of Husks emerged in the rocky area below, either arriving from the side path, climbing up the cliffs, or being air-dropped in. Shepard opened up with the turret, getting the Husks trying to charge down the middle, while everyone else focused fire on the ones coming from the sides, also handling those trying to climb the walls. The cyber-zombies kept coming and coming, but they couldn't even get close; Husk parts soon littered the ground below.

"Yeah, like shooting fish in a barrel!" James cried out as he blasted a Husk's head off.

"…What?" Garrus asked.

"It's an old human saying!" Marie replied. "'Like shooting fish in a barrel'! It implies something's really easy!"

"What _is_ it with humans and idioms, anyway?!"

The Husks kept coming, and promptly kept being shredded by the small arsenal of weapons ready for them; Husk bits and spent thermal clips littered the ground beneath the barricade, including a few large ones from the turret. The sisters didn't even bother using any of their big stuff; what they were using now was enough. Suddenly, however, a monstrous new player entered the field: a huge Husk-type creature, bulging with synthetic muscle, its right arm tipped with a large and sharp crab-like claw, and its head looking like that of a Turian attached to a flexible tube-like structure.

"Holy hell, what _is_ that thing?!" James shouted.

The beast growled and then charged the barricade, shrugging off the rounds fired at it. It shoulder-tackled the wall, causing Shepard to lose his balance and fall off, right into the lower area with the beast. The monster beat its chest and roared, stomping forward; Shepard fired an Incinerate blast, but the beast's thick hide withstood it with only some damage. It charged at Shepard with frightening speed, and he swore as he rolled out of the way of a crushing claw swipe; as he came up, he drew and fired his N7 Hurricane SMG, emptying an entire clip into the beast. The super-Husk growled, the barrage of rounds punching some holes in its armor but not doing enough to kill or cripple it.

The others leapt down to join the fight, a Carnage shot from James and a charged Power-Bolt shot from Marie hitting the monster in the side; a bit more of its armor was damaged, and it roared and charged at them. As it got close, Marie & James rolled out of the way, as Sarah leapt in and slammed her gravity hammer into the monster's side, crushing and dislodging some of its armor as she knocked it to the side. Shepard hit it with a Warp, further weakening it, and a good half a clip's worth of rounds from Garrus' Phaeston chewed into its armor some more.

Now noticeably wounded, the monster roared and charged at Garrus. However, a Firaga spell from Erika staggered it, and Shepard then slammed into it from the side with a Biotic Charge. The monster, now heavily wounded, growled as it tried to strike Shepard one more time. Then, however, a barrage of large pink crystals flew in, and a super-combine explosion finished the monster off; with its badly-damaged body blown open, it keeled over and went still, the lights of its synthetic eyes going dark.

"Goddamn," James said, "the fuck was all that about?"

"I just got a Codex update on it" Garrus called out, looking at his Omnitool. "Apparently, others have encountered these things enough for someone to make one."

**CODEX – 'BRUTE': **"_The Brute is a hulking amalgamation of Turian and Krogan victims of the Reapers. Because tissue from dextro-protein species like the Turians is incompatible with levo-protein species like the Krogans, implants regulate the Brute's body chemistry to combat organ rejection. It is the fusion of Turian military skill and Krogan blood-rage that makes the Brute such a formidable enemy, capable of destroying armored vehicles to get to the soldiers inside. Troops are advised to keep their distance, and, whenever possible, not engage a Brute alone._"

"Krogan-Turian hybrid-Husks?" Marie said. "That is more than one kind of wrong."

"A high-level chakra- or magic-user could probably take one down with little effort," Sarah said, poking the body with the toe of her boot, "but against regular soldiers? This thing could maybe wipe out a whole fireteam by itself, maybe a whole squad if they're caught in close-quarters and without any heavy weapons."

"And if they're anything like other Husk types," Shepard added, "they'll hardly ever be by themselves."

"_Shepard, Corinthus here._"

"What's the word on the Primarch?"

"_Still can't get a stable comm. link._"

"Okay. We're going on foot. Shepard out." He turned to his old friend. "Garrus, take us to the last place you saw Victus."

They started moving, walking along the rocky path with Garrus in the lead. At least two Reaper Dreadnoughts were visible in the distance, patrolling the moon for Turians to kill.

"How far?" Shepard asked.

"Should be pretty quick unless we find trouble" Garrus replied.

As they rounded a corner and slid down a slope, they came to a breathtaking view of Palaven… and of the devastation on its surface visible even from here.

"I was down there a few days ago, before this shit started" Marie said. "Despite the rough angles used a lot in the architecture, it's actually a really pretty place, cities of imposing spires and forests filled with creatures that shine in the sunlight thanks to the natural metals in their bodies. …And now it's all on fire."

"That blaze of orange," Garrus pointed to one of the fires, "the big one… that's where I was born."

"Still have family there?" James asked.

"My dad, a sister… Had a mother, but she… passed on from a neural-degenerative disease about two months ago."

"How bad is it?"

"Three million lost the first day, five the second."

"How's your military holding up?" Shepard asked.

"Look around; that should give you some idea."

"They're putting up a good fight."

"For now. But how long until the fight's kicked out of you? …So Swansons, where's your girls' mother? Hopefully nowhere in this realm at the moment…"

"Nah, she's on Kaede Fuyō's Earth right now" Marie replied. "Mom and Asa Shigure's mother Ama have become pretty good friends, so they hang with each other from time to time. And dad's divorced from her, he's still back on our home Earth; we keep in touch how & when we can."

They continued on, moving with a purpose but not too much of a rush. As they passed a cliff-side with a view of a distant crashed Turian dreadnought, moving onto a narrow stretch of path, a pack of Husks climbed up from below; Shepard killed one with an Incinerate, and Garrus & James mowed the rest down with their assault rifles.

"Shit, I hate these things" James said. "And New York is _crawling_ with the creepy bastards? Never shoulda left Earth…"

"It's gonna be bad all over" Garrus replied, as everyone hopped across a short gap.

"Leaving the fight just pisses me off."

"But you're here to ask Victus to do the same thing: leave the fight to make nice in some boardroom."

"This summit is the only chance we've got" Shepard said. "None of us are beating the Reapers alone."

They rounded a corner, finding a crashed Turian craft with three Turian soldiers near it – two up & active, the third on the ground, wounded but still alive.

"You soldiers okay?" Shepard asked.

"Yes, sir" one replied. "We'll make it."

"Have you seen General Victus?" Garrus asked.

"Half hour ago, headed south."

"Okay. Good luck."

The team made south, moving along, when suddenly a Turian fighter-craft flew low over a rock formation ahead, a Harvester right behind it. The Harvester hit something that made the bottom of the Turian fighter 'hook' the rock in a way that slammed it into the ground so hard that the resulting explosion knocked Shepard and Garrus (who were leading) over.

"That was a little closer than I'd like" Garrus remarked as he got up.

As they passed the wreck, Sarah peered inside the canopy, only to wince at what she saw.

"No survivors" she reported.

"A crash like that, it's not surprising" Garrus replied.

"So, Loco…" James said as the group hopped up a short ridge. "You really think this summit will work? I mean… Asari? Salarians? Where're the Krogans and Batarians? Where's the meat?"

"The Batarians took the first hit when the Reapers arrived" Garrus replied. "Not much left of them… And the Krogans have never forgiven us for the genophage."

"Right. Turians sterilized them."

"Salarians came up with it."

"And the Krogans hate them both for it" Shepard said.

"So they won't be joining us."

"Too bad" James said. "I've fought with a Krogan. They're tough sons-of-bitches."

"The S-Sangheili and Protoss c-could probably do a l-lot of damage" Erika suggested.

"But they're too busy fighting the Reapers trying to invade their planets at the moment" Shepard replied. "Hopefully there'll be enough left of them to make a difference…"

After a couple minutes' more walking, the tops of a few structures became visible on the other side of some rock formations. However, a wave of Reaper drop-pods dropped in that area, and the sounds of gunfire and explosions rang out.

"That sounds bad!" James said.

"Okay, double time!" Shepard ordered as he and everyone else started running. "No Reaper's taking this Primarch from us!"

They quickly reached Victus' compound, opening fire on the Cannibals and Marauder that were just inside to greet them. Shepard sent out a Combat Drone, the little construct firing Incinerate rockets at Cannibals, while he then Overloaded the Marauder's shields and took it out with a few pistol rounds. The others took out the remaining Cannibals, and then they all moved into the main section of the compound. It was chaos. Cannibals and Marauders exchanged fire with General Victus and his men, while at least two Brutes were in the area as well. Analyzing the situation, the three sisters looked to each other. Sarah nodded, and the other two felt her chakra begin to flow; in response, Marie readied more mana into her Device, while Erika channeled her own energies and readied her Keyblade.

"Let's clear 'em out!" Shepard shouted.

"For Palaven!" Garrus cried as he opened fire with his Phaeston, gunning down two Cannibals.

Marie fired a Crossfire Shot barrage that took out four Cannibals, followed by a charged Plasma-Bolt shot that incinerated a Marauder. James shoulder-tackled a Cannibal and then blasted it point-blank with his shotgun, while Garrus used his Mantis to pick off a Marauder trying to flank a group of soldiers further ahead. The closest Brute headed toward Shepard, ignoring the damage dealt by the Warp he hit it with as it charged him. However, it was stunned by a cannonball of chakra-laced compressed air to the face, which Sarah followed up with a gravity hammer strike that knocked its cyber-mutated head right off.

Erika moved about, slaying a Marauder with a Needler super-combine blast and cutting a Cannibal down with a heavy swing of her Keyblade. A Brute rushed at her, charging and leaping in an attempt to crush her with its mighty claw, but she formed a Rasengan (which she had been practicing at forming very quickly) and slammed it up into the falling Brute's chest, the concussive spiraling blast tearing into and partially through its armored body and sending it flying back. The beast, heavily wounded and shedding parts, groaned as it staggered to all fours, barely keeping itself going but still determined to fight, but a launched grenade from a Turian soldier finished it off.

Victus' people rallied, joining Team Shepard in catching the remaining Reaper forces in a deadly crossfire. A pair of drop-pods deposited two Brutes side by side, but at that moment Shepard spotted a Reaper-looking heavy weapon leaning against a crate. Figuring 'why the hell not', he picked it up, aimed at the monsters, and held the trigger down. After several seconds' charge time, the weapon fired, and the resulting explosion sent a wave of light and heat that actually partially drained the shields of anyone within 10 meters, so fierce was the explosion; needless to say, there wasn't much left of the Brutes.

**CODEX – 'BLACKSTAR': **"_The Reaper weapon nicknamed "Blackstar" is so advanced that Alliance scientists can only offer speculation about how it works. The gun appears to exploit an element zero core and mass-effect fields to fire gravitational singularities - micro black holes - that revert to their natural lethality when they impact a solid object. Researchers theorize that the blast tears apart the strong nuclear forces that hold the target's atoms together, resulting in a localized fusion reaction in light atoms and a fission reaction in heavy atoms. If that hypothesis is correct, the weapon alters nuclei, thus changing the chemical composition of the target. It destroys organic tissue, corrodes surviving armor, and leaves a visible trail of light-emitting particles.  
Although some might argue that the Blackstar's single-launch capability makes it a liability, its capacity for utter destruction is essential when the user requires large-scale, instantaneous damage._"

Soon, the final enemies were vanquished, two Cannibals gunned down by the local Turian defenders. With the compound clear, the main structure opened, and an old-middle-age Turian in black & red armor stepped out, walking up to the humans.

"General Victus?" Shepard said.

"Yes" the old Turian replied.

"I'm Commander Shepard of the _Normandy 2_."

"Ah, Commander. I know who you are. I can't wait to find out what brings you here." He turned to Garrus. "Vakarian, where did you run off to?"

"Heavy Reaper unit on the right flank" Garrus replied. "I believe your exact words were, 'Get that thing the hell off my men'."

"Appreciate it."

"General," Shepard said, "you're needed off-planet. I've come to get you."

"It will take something beyond important for me to leave my men, or my Turian brothers and sisters in their fight."

"Fedorian was killed" Garrus replied. "You're the new Primarch."

"You're needed immediately to chair a summit and represent your people in the fight against the Reapers" Shepard added.

Victus walked past them in shock, staring up at his burning homeworld.

"…I'm Primarch of Palaven? Negotiating for the Turian Hierarchy?"

"Yes."

"I've spent my whole life in the military" he turned back to them. "I'm no diplomat… I _hate_ diplomats."

"What makes you think you're not qualified?"

"I'm not really a 'by-the-book' kinda guy, and I piss people off. My family's been military since the Unification War. War is my life; it's in my bones. But that kind of passion is… deceptive – can make you seem reckless when you're anything but."

"War is your résumé. At a time like this, we need leaders who've been through that hell."

"I like that. You're right."

"And honestly, uniting these races may take as much strength as facing the Reapers. See all this devastation, Primarch? Double it for Earth. I need an alliance. I need the Turian Fleet."

Victus was silent for a few seconds. "Give me a moment to say goodbye to my men" he said.

As Victus headed over to his troops, Garrus came up to Shepard. "Without him down here," he said, "there's a good chance we lose this moon."

"Without him up there," Shepard replied, "there's a good chance we lose _everything_."

Garrus looked out into the distance at a Reaper Dreadnought a handful of kilometers away. "Look at that… And they want my opinion on how to stop it? Failed C-Sec officer, vigilante, and I'm their 'expert advisor'? …Think we can win this thing, Shepard?"

"I really don't know, Garrus. But I'm sure as hell gonna give it my best shot."

"I'm damn sure nobody else can do it. For whatever it's worth, I'm with you."

"Welcome aboard" they shook hands, and Shepard then turned to their MVP. "Are you ready, Primarch Victus?"

Victus nodded, walking back from his troops. "One thing" he said. "Commander, I appreciate your need for our fleets, but I can't spare them. Not while my world is burning. But if the pressure could be taken off Palaven…"

"That's a pretty tall order."

"We need the Krogans. I can't see us winning this war without them. Get them to help us, and then we can help you."

"The Krogans…"

"Looks like the summit just got a lot more interesting" Garrus remarked.

**-****_SCENE BREAK_****-**

**_Normandy-II _****, Deck Two, QEC Room**

"_The Asari have been down this road before, Commander_" Councilor Tevos said.

"But Madame Councilor, let me-"

"_I tried to smooth things over with the Salarian Dalatrass. To say she's upset would be a monumental understatement._"

"Some of these issues are hundreds, even thousands of years old. It's time to let go."

"_Sad to say, but any effort to ally these disparate groups seems doomed to failure. And I'm sure you understand that we cannot afford to waste time with the Reapers knocking at our door. This must be my final word. I'm sorry, but the Asari will not be at your summit._"

"Our alliance would be stronger with the Krogans. You need them; we all do."

"_I wish you luck, Commander. Goodbye._"

As the Asari Councilor cut her transmission, Shepard received another call before he could even step away from the QEC. He hit the button, and Admiral Steven Hackett appeared.

"_Commander, have you retrieved the Primarch for your summit?_"

"Yes sir, but the Asari are staying on the sidelines."

"_They'll regret that. The time for unity is now._"

"The Salarians will be there, though."

"_You don't sound very optimistic…_"

"We expect the Krogans will be joining us, too."

"_I see. Well then, you've got your hands full, Commander. Was there anything else you wanted to ask or discuss?_"

"Have you pieced together how the Reapers hit Earth, sir?"

"_It wasn't all that complicated, really. They surged through the relays and hit Arcturus Station before we knew what was happening. From there, it was a short jump to the Sol System. Earth didn't stand a chance._"

"Sending us to the Mars Archives was a good call."

"_Still doesn't make up for the fact that the Reapers nailed us to the wall. I sacrificed the entire Second Fleet to provide cover for the Third and the Fifth to retreat. I've presided over the most devastating military defeat in human history._"

"How do you see us winning this war, Admiral?"

"_By making you the tip of the spear._"

"I'm flattered, but the _Normandy-2_'s just one ship."

"_And a fast one. You can move quickly, hit a target, and leave before the enemy has time to react._"

"It's an advantage, but can it win a war?"

"_It's the larger principle that matters. We'll never defeat the Reapers in a full frontal assault, Shepard. So… I'll find their soft spots, avoid them where they're strong and hit them where they're not. And when I find gaps in their armor, I'll hammer them with every soldier, ship, and bullet we've got._"

"How long can we keep _that_ up?"

"_As long as it takes. The reality is, Shepard, everything I'm doing is a delaying action for you. I'm buying us time, keeping us in the game while you gather what we need for this Prothean device. So keep at it._"

"Has your analysis of the device turned up anything?"

"_Liara appears to be right. It's a weapon of some sort; a __**big**__ one. Beyond that, we can't really say, other than it's going to be a hell of a thing to try and build._"

"Do you think it's risky, building something like this when we don't even know what it does?"

"_To be honest, the thing scares the hell out of me, but the Reapers have forced our hand. Around 240 years ago, scientists faced the same problem in the Second World War. They weren't sure what the atomic bomb might do. Some thought it could ignite Earth's atmosphere, but they did it anyway._"

"Any updates on Cerberus?"

"_They're still the wildcard here. Hitting the archives on Mars suggests they're after the same thing we are: a way to defeat the Reapers._"

"It didn't seem as if the Illusive Man was suggesting we appease them like Saren did. You'd think we'd be on the same side, now more than ever."

"_Cerberus has never played by the rules as we know them. I don't know what their agenda is, but it has nothing to do with humanity's best interests._"

"The Illusive Man talked about gaining control of the Reapers. He seemed to think that's how we win this."

"_He's wrong. There's no way mortal minds could control those things._"

"Doesn't mean he won't try."

"_I saw your report on that Cerberus soldier you found on Mars. If the Illusive Man is good at one thing, it's finding new ways to subvert science. But it's never worked for him before, and it won't now._"

"Let's just hope that when his attempts backfire, we don't get too badly hurt by it. Nothing more, sir."

"_Keep me posted. Hackett out._"

Shepard left the QEC and headed into the War Room, where Primarch Victus was looking over a display on the side of the holo-table.

"Commander," he said as he turned to face Shepard, "thank you for allowing me the use of your ship, and for going along with this plan. Garrus said he had to attend to the _Normandy_'s weapon systems – something about calibrations."

Shepard smirked. "That sounds like Garrus. I'm sorry to say the Asari Councilor won't be joining us. She thinks there's too much bad blood with the Krogans."

"She may be right, but there'll be a lot more blood – _real_ blood – if we don't try."

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"The sooner we have this summit, the sooner we'll know."

"How is it being the Primarch?"

"Not what I imagined. The battle of all time is happening on Palaven, and I'm light-years away, reading casualty reports in the millions. If I'm going to die, I want to be with my men so there's no doubt we fought to the last soul."

"I understand. Leaving Earth to save it…," Shepard sighed, "was one of the hardest things I've ever done."

"I'm not surprised. Garrus speaks highly of you. You never asked to be a leader, yet your people will die if you refuse. We find ourselves in similar circumstances. Let's hope the Spirits grant us the strength to see it through."

"How are things on Palaven?"

"The casualty reports are staggering. The Reapers are using our own tactic against us: destroy the enemy with overwhelming force."

"I've seen the same on Earth."

"The strategist in me admires their brutality. The Turian in me knows I'm watching the destruction of 15,000 years of civilization. _My_ civilization."

"Thank you for your time, Primarch. My thoughts are with Palaven."

"And mine with Earth."

Shepard exited the War Room. As he moved through the hallway past the meeting table, however, the lights flickered.

"_Uh, Commander?_" Joker said over the intercom. "_EDI just went offline._"

"What do you mean, 'offline'?"

"_I don't know! She's not responding, and I can't access the AI core diagnostics. You'd better get down to Deck 3._"

Shepard quickly hurried out into the CIC and to the elevator, riding it down a Deck. As he got off, Sarah & Erika emerged from the women's restroom.

"T-Thank you, Sarah" the little one was saying. "I'm j-just glad it waited until _after _w-we were off Menae and back o-on the ship to happen…"

"Yeah, I don't fancy changing you while bullets are whizzing over my head" the older one remarked. "Oh hey, Commander. What's up with the lights flickering earlier?"

"EDI just went offline. I'm heading to investigate now."

Concerned, the two followed him into the medbay. Up ahead, two marines wearing breathing masks and carrying fire extinguishers waited by the closed door. As Shepard approached, he heard something like hissing from inside.

"Joker, what's that sound?"

"_Automated fire extinguishers, Commander; it could be an electrical fire or… or something._"

Shepard nodded, and then signaled one marine to open the door. The AI core room was filled with smoke, and a few isolated tiny fires smoldered; the other marine promptly hosed them down with the extinguisher. Shepard walked in, the cybernetics in his lungs protecting him from the effects of the smoke.

"EDI? Talk to me…"

There was a rising hum as the AI processors in the room came back online, radiating blue light. Within the smoke ahead, a floating 'beam' of orange light was visible. Soon, out walked a metallic-bodied synthetic being, with lithe feminine curves and a sweeping headpiece shaped like shoulder-length hair, and an orange holo-visor over synthetic eyes.

"Is there a particular topic you wish to discuss, Shepard?" EDI's voice came out of the gyndroid's mouth.

"…EDI?"

"Yes?" the AI responded, looking over her new mobile platform.

"You're in Dr. Eva's body…"

"Not all of me, but I have control of it. It was not a seamless transition."

"A transition? You blacked out on us for a while there."

"When we brought this unit onboard, I began a background process to search for its information on the Prothean device. This eventually triggered a trap; a backup power source and CPU activated, and the unit attempted physical confrontation. Fortunately, I was able to gain root access and repurpose it as I saw fit. During this process, it… struggled, hence the fire."

"EDI, you need to alert us about incidents like this. You shouldn't have done this alone."

"Bringing the crew up to speed would have been counterproductive. All attempts to help would have been limited by reaction time."

The marines finally got the auto-extinguishers to stop.

"So if you're in there, are you also still in the ship?"

"I exist primarily within the ship. For optimal control, this unit should remain within _Normandy_'s broadcast or tightbeam range."

"Are you planning to take that body somewhere?"

"The _Normandy-II_'s weaponry is not suited to every combat situation. This platform could provide limited-fire ground support."

"You mean you could come with us on ground missions?"

"Correct. This body could accompany you to areas the _Normandy II_ cannot reach."

"Before we do that, I need you to guarantee this mech doesn't have any more surprises in it. Run whatever tests we can, then we can talk about using it in combat situations."

"One moment – I am running trials. …Complete. I can send you a full report if you wish. However, my first step should be restoring functionality to the _Normandy_, to reassure the crew that all is normal."

"Just… don't be surprised if the crew is a little wary of your new body. It _was_ shooting at a few of them a little while ago…"

"An excellent point. I will take it to the bridge. Joker will also want to see it."

"On that, we can agree" he replied as she walked off.

After making sure nothing was seriously damaged in the room, Shepard headed out and down to the weapons room, where Garrus was already working on the main gun while speaking with Primarch Victus.

"_Two of our dreadnoughts have been lost in a matter of hours._"

"I know, Primarch; I'm seeing the same numbers myself. They don't look good."

"_We have to turn this around, and fast._"

"Well, you can trust Shepard, sir. If anyone can get the Krogans to cooperate, it's him. He's an old friend of Urdnot Wrex."

"_Let's just hope friendship still counts for something in this war._"

"I'm sure it will, sir."

"Garrus" Shepard greeted. "Didn't waste any time getting to work, I see."

"After what I've been through lately, calibrating a giant gun is a vacation. Gives me something to focus on."

"We're gonna need you for more than your aim."

"Oh, I'm ready for it, but I'm pretty sure we'll still need giant guns, and lots of them. Sovereign didn't go down without a fight; I doubt several thousand of his friends will be any different. Still not convinced I should've left Palaven behind…"

"There was a boy back on Earth; couldn't have been more than six or seven years old. As the _Normandy II_ escaped the attack, I watched him die; he looked up right at me as he was getting into an evac shuttle, and seconds after it took off a Reaper Destroyer blew it to bits right in front of us."

"Being right about the Reapers has never felt much like a victory, has it?"

"We both knew this fight would be tough. Damned if the Reapers haven't delivered."

"At least my government listened to me before Sparatus made everything public… or they pretended to, at least. They gave me a task force as a token to shut me up."

"So you're their 'expert advisor' now?"

"Just followed your example, Shepard: yell loud enough, and someone will eventually come over to see what all the fuss is about. Not that they'll actually _do_ anything about it."

"Until hell shows up at their door. Then they put you in charge."

"Not like the old days, is it? Rogue Spectre and C-Sec agents running & gunning outside the lines, making it up as we went along… We're actually respectable now."

"Yeah, I have a feeling that _respect comes with a lot of sleepless nights__._ I can't even count how many lives are depending on us, Garrus."

"Well, if it ever gets too much for you, just remember: a certain Turian friend of yours isn't sleeping any better, and he'd be more than happy to meet you at the bar and drink you under the table."

"I know you don't have any illusions about what we're up against, Garrus. How do you rate our chances?"

"I know it looks bad now, but I think we can win this, Shepard. For the first time since we met, we're not alone in the fight. It's something I learned long ago in C-Sec: an imminent painful death has a way of motivating people. Instead of questioning your every word, whole civilizations are going to be begging you to save them."

"After what's happened to Palaven, you still believe that?"

"I didn't say there wouldn't be casualties. It's something Turians are taught from birth: if just one survivor is left standing at the end of a war, then the fight was worth it. But humans want to save _everyone_. In this war, that's not going to happen."

"You mentioned you still had family on Palaven."

"My father is there; sister, too."

"How long has it been since you heard from them?"

"Long enough to be worried…"

"I'm sure they're okay."

"That's the thing about getting old, Shepard: the platitudes get just as old. What about you? Any word from your family?"

"My mother's in the Alliance. I haven't heard from her since Earth got hit."

"I'm sure… she's okay."

"So what's this 'Reaper task-force' you've been running?"

"After what happened to you out there in Batarian space, I knew time was running out for all of us. I did something I never thought I'd do: I went to my father."

"He used to work for C-Sec, didn't he? I seem to remember that the two of you didn't see eye to eye."

"To put it mildly. But he still had heavy pull in the Turian government. The Primarch – well, the old one – was a friend of his. So I went to my father and laid out everything we knew about the Reapers, from Saren all the way to the Collector base."

"I'm not sure even I'd believe it."

"I had to admit that parts of it sounded crazy. Talking to Sovereign on Virmire? Meeting Vigil? But my father just listened. It's what he did in his days at C-Sec, putting together all the pieces. If the connections were there, he wouldn't deny them. And he saw what we always knew: the Reapers were coming."

"I'm glad someone finally agreed."

"He did more than agree. He took it to the Primarch."

"I like his style."

"Except the Primarch wasn't as convinced. My father kept pushing and finally got him to commit some token resources. And if you call them a 'task force', it sounds like you did something about it."

"What did you do with it?"

"As much as I could get away with, and a little more. We hardened our lines of communication, expanded emergency stockpiles across the colonies, improved our early-warning detection protocols… And then, of course, about three weeks after the Bahak incident, the Council finally went public with what you and those ships had shown them about the Reapers, revealed to the galaxy at large what was coming. After that, Fedorian gave me a _lot_ more to work with. I'd like to think it bought our fleet some extra time. We'll know when this war is over."

"So… you can vouch for this new Primarch?"

"Well, even if I couldn't, you go to war with the army you have."

"Will he live up to his word?"

"I've never known Victus to lie. Play fast & loose with strategy, maybe. But betray an ally? Not his style. And if he _did_ try… well, we'll just find another Primarch."

"I noticed generals saluting you, Garrus. How far down the line of succession are you these days?"

"…Let's not go there."

"'Primarch Vakarian, honored war hero'. Somebody's going to have to rebuild Palaven when this is over."

"Yeah, somebody who knows how to use a hammer."

"I'd better let you get back to work, Garrus. It's damn good to have you back."

"I wouldn't miss this fight for anything. Now, I'm sure somebody screwed up something down here. I wanna get the old girl back in fighting shape."

Before heading elsewhere, Shepard decided to swing by Liara's office to check on her. He found her looking pensive and a bit downtrodden.

"Something on your mind?" he asked.

"Just… old memories" she replied. "I spent a few months on Palaven's south peaks when I was very, very young. A Turian there teased me a little, said the mountains there went on forever. I remember believing him. When I looked up at Palaven from its moon… I saw those same mountains burning."

Shepard nodded solemnly. He made his way back to the elevator, and on the way he caught sight of the three sisters sitting at a table together in the mess hall.

"These past few days have been rough on all of us…" Sarah said. "I've spent days hardly getting any sleep between helping Bailey & Alenko out and worrying myself sick over you, Marie."

"I'm okay, sis" Marie replied. "You know I'm a survivor."

"Yeah… Can we… sleep in the same bed together tonight? The three of us, I mean. It would… It would really help it sink in that you're both here, and alright, and with me again."

"S-Sure, Sarah" Erika replied with a soft smile.

"Yeah" Marie said. "No problem. I could use something like that, too. …I just hope that the Boss and Kaede are okay…"

Making his way down to the Engineering deck, Shepard found Javik gazing out the window overlooking the hangar.

"Commander," he said, "I have finished viewing the 'archival footage' you made available to me. There is so much to process… Knowing that there are other threats besides the Reapers – Amon, Xehanort, the Ur-Didact wherever he may be, and… the Flood, the Reapers' equal and opposite. And then there are some of the machines – the Cybertronians, and the UNSC's neural-map AIs… I do not trust _all_ machine intelligence – my empire's experience with them assures that – but those are almost exactly like organics in their motivations and thought processes. It is… difficult to fathom. However, I still question this 'peace' you have brokered between the Quarians and the Geth."

"Well, it's worked out so far" Shepard replied.

"Perhaps only because of the looming threat of the Reapers. After they are gone, how long before some of the more radical Quarians try something foolish, or another Geth splinter faction forms, and war begins anew? …I also saw the… fate of some of my brethren…"

"The Collectors… I'm sorry I had to put down the last remnants of your race, Javik."

"Do not be. It was an act of mercy. You granted them peace, Commander. Thank you for that."

Having checked on their newest crew-member, Shepard rode the elevator back up to Deck 2. As he passed by the CIC, he caught part of a conversation between Traynor and Allers.

"I have to ask" Traynor was saying. "Do all war reporters look so… um… feminine? I mean, you're made-up so well."

"_We actually have a research department for that_" Allers replied over the connection. "_They focus-test looks, voice, manner… Apparently, girly is good. Asari pay more attention. Salarians relate to higher-pitched voices._"

"And Turians?"

"_Turians are __**nuts**__ – a civilization of war nerds. They're loyal viewers, but they write the __**creepiest**__ fan mail…_"

Shaking his head, Shepard headed up to the cockpit. Upon seeing him, Joker turned to him with a big grin.

"Hey, Commander! Check out my copilot!" He gestured to EDI's new mobile platform in the neighboring seat.

"So she installed herself into the new body without any help from you?" Shepard said.

"Come on, Commander. Don't you trust me? Okay, lemme put it this way: If I knew that EDI was gonna install herself into a sexy robot body, do you honestly think I'd be able to keep quiet about it? I mean, look at that! …I woulda baked a cake!"

"I'm… right here, Jeff."

"Yes you are, EDI. Yes you are."

Smirking in amusement and shaking his head, Shepard walked back toward the CIC. Traynor noticed him coming, and turned to get his attention.

"Commander, are you all right?" Traynor asked. "It was fairly intense up here. I can only imagine what it was like down on that moon."

"I thought you'd be more concerned about EDI."

"EDI is a huge asset to this team. If she'd told me about her plan to obtain a body, I'd have volunteered to help."

"_I did not wish to force a conflict of interests between our friendship and your duty_" EDI stated over the overhead speaker.

"I'd have preferred a conflict of interest to a hard restart of half our systems… but thanks, regardless. Oh, and Commander, I found something while searching Alliance channels. Grissom Academy is requesting help. The Reaper invasion front will hit them soon."

"I thought the war would close most schools."

"Grissom Academy is more specialized than a normal school. It's home to some of the smartest students humanity has to offer. And their 'Ascension Project' helps gifted young Biotics. If it had been open 20 years ago, between your Biotic power and your engineering skills I bet you'd have been there."

"Yes, I sent a young man named David Archer there. I'm just surprised they're still open."

"Some of their work has Alliance support. That might be why they stayed."

"What can we do?"

"A Turian evac transport supposedly responded to their distress call, so normally I'd say we don't need to do anything. But something sounded 'off' in the Turian signal. I had EDI perform an analysis. It's fake. EDI thinks it's Cerberus. She said the faked Turian signal was similar to one that lured you to a Collector ship…?"

"Long story."

"In any event, whoever faked the signal wants us to think Grissom Academy's being evacuated. But I believe they're still in danger."

"Good catch."

"If this really is Cerberus, hopefully this operation is something worth investigating. It could be simple disinformation-"

"Traynor… Good catch."

"Thank you, Commander."

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: We get a look at a few developments in the other Realms.


	6. Eviction

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Realm H4-L0 → Urs System**

Arbiter Thel Vadam, Supreme Commander of the Sangheili Alliance armed forces, leaned forward, resting his face on his folded hands as he looked at the holo-display in the control room of the _Divinity_-class supercarrier _Immortal Honor_. The fight against the Reapers trying to invade Sanghelios had been quite a thing. When they'd initially emerged from a warp-rift suddenly forced open between Realms, by sheer luck a significant portion of the Sangheili Alliance navy had been stationed near the planet, either as home-guard defense or preparing for simulated combat ('war games', the humans called it when they introduced the concept). Thus, after some initial surprise, the fleet had quickly rallied. Many more sections of the SA Navy had come running as soon as they got the word, fleets arriving from elsewhere in this Realm to bolster defense and help repulse the invaders.

The Reapers were certainly foes worthy of note, as befitting their reputation. They moved with cold, calculated action, acting as parts of a whole. Their weapons – some molten-metal cannons, some directed-energy weapons – were formidable by ship-weapon standards, though Sangheili-made energy shields could take them well enough. Furthermore, unlike the 'kinetic barriers' of their fictional counterparts shown by a few of the DDF's humans, the Reapers of this reality had genuine energy shields, capable of repulsing and protecting from directed-energy weapons as well as projectiles. Though, they could still be overwhelmed by enough force, just as any shields could.

However, the fight had not been in the invaders' favor. Sangheili ships had very durable energy shields, able to withstand multiple shots from the Reapers' main guns before failing. Their armor was fairly durable as well – not enough to stop a shot from a Reaper's main gun unshielded, but enough to reduce its force by some at least. And Sangheili ships' internal layout – decentralization, redundancy, and a very well-protected control room – meant that even the shots that hit weren't guaranteed to kill or cripple a ship. And of course, many of the Sangheili warships were so large that it was even harder to hit the right spot for a mission-kill when you didn't know what to aim for. Lastly, after enjoying so many eons of offensive superiority, the Reapers were getting a taste of their own medicine; even Reaper Dreadnoughts' shields could only take about three or four direct hits of a Sangheili ship standard plasma-torpedo, and a single torpedo could one-shot an unshielded Dreadnought. The particle-beam cannons carried by the bigger Sangheili ships could, more often than not, take out even a fully-shielded Dreadnought with only a couple seconds of continuous fire. And their 'Oculus' drone fighters just didn't have the punch or defenses to compete with the T31 'Seraph'.

The battle hadn't been _completely_ one-sided; the wrecks of multiple Sangheili corvettes, frigates, destroyers, and light cruisers littered the space, along with some standard _Yermo_-class cruisers and even a few _Sanghelios_-class battlecruisers and one _Reverence_-class heavy cruiser. Around half of the still-active ships had some damage, most of it not enough to impede combat effectiveness but enough to take note of. The Reapers had taken heavy losses, but they still had quite a few of their number left, and now they were fighting a bit smarter; instead of a constant assault, they were going the hit-and-run route, taking position near their warp-rift further back from the battle through which a few reinforcements occasionally arrived and a few Reapers occasionally departed through back to their home Realm. They would hang back, enact repairs, move in to engage the Sangheili again for a while, and then retreat and repeat. They were zealously defending the warp-rift, their only way in or out of this Realm; the Sangheili fleet would not yet attempt a rush on the portal, knowing that the stubborn defense of it by the Reapers might cost them more than it had so far.

Right now, the Reapers were in the midst of another assault, exchanging fire with the Sangheili ships. Thel Vadam felt the light shudder and noticed the faint dimming of lights in the control room as his supercarrier's particle-beam cannon fired; it burned away two-thirds of a Dreadnought's shields before the Reaper managed to slide to the side out of the way, and kept going to kill a Destroyer that had been behind it. In the distance, a _Purity_-class destroyer was shieldless and badly damaged, yet still managed to fire a plasma torpedo that destroyed the weapons systems of one of the Reaper Dreadnoughts attacking it. The other Dreadnought then fired its main gun, punching a hole right through the Sangheili vessel; secondary explosions ripped through the ship, which then came apart into fire and wreckage.

"Arbiter!" a control-room crewman called out. "Something very large is approaching through slipstream space!"

"What is it?" Vadam asked. "More Reapers? Have they managed to travel through slipspace now?"

"I do not believe so; it is something else."

Off to the 'side' of the battle, space-time rippled as finely-tuned rifts were opened in it, blue and black. The Arbiter felt a twinge of relief as from the slipspace rifts emerged a massive fleet of UNSC warships, led by the dreadnought _Infinity_. The human ships' main guns opened fire, superconducting coils propelling 600-ton projectiles of uranium and tungsten-carbide to 40% the speed of light. The MAC rounds smashed into the Reaper forces from the side, dealing great amounts of damage; Reaper Dreadnought shields were downed with only two or three direct hits, allowing following shots to slay the ancient metal entities, while Destroyers were lucky to survive even one. Some of the UNSC ships performed micro-jumps to form up with the Sangheili vessels, getting closer to the enemy, while the rest stayed back to pound the invaders from range. Thermonuclear missiles were launched, the 60-to-80-megaton blasts carrying boosted-EMP loads that wrought havoc on the Reapers' shields and systems, allowing the primordial heat of fusion to melt away their metal hides and outright vaporize those that were close enough to the blasts. UNSC point-defense guns pitched in to further cull the numbers of Oculus drones attacking the allied fleets, and smaller craft launched from the human capital ships to engage enemy fighters or rescue what Sangheili life-pods hadn't been destroyed.

"_Arbiter Vadam,_" Fleet-Admiral Hood said as a holo-screen appeared in the _Immortal Honor_'s control room, showing the _Infinity_'sbridge. "_Apologies for the delay; it took a little while to get a proper fleet assembled._"

"I believe the appropriate human phrase is 'better late than never', Fleet-Admiral" Thel replied. "Do we yet know if they are attacking other Dimensional Defense Force planets besides ours?"

"_Lucavos, Equestria, Midchilda, Shakuras, and Cybertron are all being attacked. In the Systems Alliances' realm, their Earth has already fallen, as has the Batarian homeworld, and Palaven is being hit very hard, too. Commander Shepard is still alive, though._"

"It is good to hear he still lives. If anyone understands the Reapers, it's him."

In the background behind Hood, Thel noticed Captain Andrew Del-Rio, the official shipmaster of the _Infinity_. He looked a bit annoyed at having his command over 'his' ship taken from him again; he'd led her on a few comparatively-minor missions, but for every 'big' development she'd taken part in Hood had taken the vessel as a flagship and assumed temporary command over it.

"_We'll discuss further plans of counterattack later. For now, let's kick these bastards out of your star system._"

With the human fleet joining in, the Sangheili rallied, pushing back against the Reapers. Soon, the metal abominations were being chased off again, but this time the UNSC/Sangheili fleet pursued them back to their area around the inter-Realm wormhole, hitting them at range with MAC rounds and particle-beam shots, killing many more of them. And then, faced with this overwhelming force, the Reaper invasion group did what nobody had ever expected them to do:

They retreated. The machines fell back en masse through the warp rift, some of them firing at the human and Sangheili warships to keep them back while their fellows passed through the rift, falling back afterwards or sacrificing themselves. As the final dark machine exited through the warp-rift, a cheer rang out through the allied fleet. For what may very well have been the first time in millions of years, the Reapers had definitively lost a battle.

-_Break_-

**UNSC **_**Infinity**_**-class Dreadnought **_**Infinity**_**, Bridge**

High-ranking and important individuals of the UNSC and the Sangheili Alliance – FADM Hood, Capt. Del-Rio & Comm. Lasky, the Arbiter, Rtas Vadum, Dr. Halsey, the Spartans John-117, Bellerophon-B047, & Sarah Palmer, and Theta Team members Laicixa, Erio, & Caro – gathered around the central holo-table.

"Many of our ships will require some time to enact repairs before they can join the fight in Realm ME-N7 or the other five worlds being hit" Vadum reported. "However, we do have some that we can send out at any time."

"From the reports I've gathered," Cortana spoke up, "Midchilda and Equestria need the most help right now. Cybertron's having some trouble, too, but earlier today a joint fleet of the Galactic Federation from Lt. Aran's Realm and the Strategically-Integrated Coalition Of Nations is on their way there to provide reinforcement and relief to the Cybertronians. The Tripartate are giving everything they've got to help Lucavos, with the Phoenix League gearing up to jump in, too. Lastly, Valerian Mengsk and James Raynor are coordinating a large-scale counterassault on the Reapers attacking Shakuras."

"Alright…" Hood said. "We'll send some of our ships and personnel over to ME-N7, including the UNSC _Hopeful_ to assist wounded refugees. We can also spare a good-sized battle-fleet to help Equestria, though that might stretch us a little thin."

"We can assist in that" the Arbiter replied. "A joint fleet of your ships and ours will aid Equestria. Meanwhile, another Sangheili fleet will assist the Time-Space Administration Bureau – rally their ships and engage the Reapers assailing their world. Once the rest of our ships have finished repairs, and our warriors are properly armed and ready, we will deploy en masse to Realm ME-N7; I have no illusions of us having even a ghost of a chance against the entire Reaper Armada, so many there are, but we can at least save some planets and make the machines bleed for some of what they take."

"We will have to be cautious about exactly how many of our forces we commit" Rtas Vadum counseled. "If we are depleted by too much, we will be ill-equipped when Amon makes his move, or if this 'Ur-Didact' Forerunner war-criminal is still alive and ever gets free from wherever he is imprisoned. Not to mention Jul Mdama and his extremist renegades, whatever they may be up to…"

"Exactly" Captain Del-Rio agreed. "It'll need to be a balancing act; commit too little, and the Reapers might roll right over us, but too much and we'll be weakened in the face of future threats."

"Have we heard anything new from the Systems Alliance?" the Master Chief asked.

"Supposedly," Halsey replied, "they found the plans for a Prothean weapon of mass destruction that _might_ be able to stop the Reapers. Construction has already begun, and they are still searching for personnel and resources to further it."

"I'm sure they'll appreciate some Huragok aid for that" Vadum replied.

"What about the warp-rift that the Reapers used to get here?" Laicixa asked.

"I've got some contact with The Ark" Cortana replied. "Mendicant and I will figure out a way to close it."

"Alright," Lord Hood said, "we have a plan. Let's get to work."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Realm SC-29 – No-Canon-Name-Given System – Shakuras**

In bursts of warping motion, dozens of Terran Dominion and Raynor's Raiders warships emerged from FTL, led by the _Bucephalus_ and the _Hyperion_. At Valerian's command, every ship opened fire on the Reapers currently engaging the Protoss fleet, catching the metal monsters by surprise; Fusion-Cannon shots took down many Reapers with the opening volley, with much of the others caught by such surprise that the Protoss ships were able to rally and take out a handful more. The ancient machines moved to split their forces and engage the newcomers, in the process taking some of the heat off the Protoss. Dominion/Raider troop transports slipped past the battle in space, moving down to the planet to deploy soldiers and hardware to assist the Protoss warriors and war droids in fighting the Husk forces and few Reaper Destroyers that had made planet-fall.

On the planet below, Ahsoka and Shion sensed as the tide above began to turn with the arrival of reinforcements. They returned their attention to the Husks and Cannibals arrayed against them, emboldened by the turn of events as they charged in, using their energy blades and their agility to block or dodge the shots that Batarian-Husks fired at them. Ahsoka threw one of her lightsabers, the spinning green blade buzz-sawing through a row of a dozen Husks and two Cannibals, while Shion cloaked and continued cutting down cyber-zombies as they feebly swung or shot at thin air in a vain attempt to hit her. A larger force of Husks tried to rush them from all sides, but the two girls got in close to each other, back to back, and synchronized their energies. After a few seconds, a powerful Force Repulse raced out from them, hammering into the Husks and sending them flying, battered and broken.

Up in space, Valerian Mengsk looked out at the battle underway from the (very well-shielded) bridge of his flagship _Bucephalus_. The Protoss had done fairly well on their own; their ships had very powerful energy shields, and the control rooms were deep in the bowels of the ships, making them difficult for most anti-ship weapons to penetrate to. Their weapons were fairly capable, as shown by the numerous dead Reapers littering Shakuras' orbit. All the same, the wrecks of several Protoss ships were around as well, and scans showed that not all of them had all their escape pods and transport craft deployed…

The forward viewport briefly polarized as the battlecruiser's fusion cannon fired, the concentrated thermonuclear blast shooting out as a beam/blast of light and power; it struck a Reaper that was engaged with a Protoss cruiser, crushing the hostile's weakened shields and blasting a massive burning hole through it. A few seconds later, there was a flash of red light, and the _Bucephalus_' shields dropped by around 30%; they'd taken a direct hit from a Reaper Dreadnought's main gun. …No, not just any Reaper Dreadnought; one 25% larger than its fellows, with light-blue 'running' lights – the Leader-subclass Reaper that had supposedly identified itself to the Protoss leaders as 'Praetor'.

"So now we've got the personal attention of one of Sovereign's 'siblings'…" he muttered. "Wonderful…"

Praetor began to move toward the Dominion flagship, only for several heavy railgun shots to hit it from the side, smashing against its shields. The Dominion destroyer _Jensen _was opening fire on the Leader-type Reaper, and it now turned to 'face' the ship. Its crimson beam lanced out, burning away at the _Jensen_'s shields which were already taxed from attacks by Oculus drones; the shields soon failed, and the beam sliced through the vessel, chopping off a significant chunk of its starboard rear section. Even as it began to list, fire spewing from its new hole, the _Jensen_ continued firing, trying to at least bring Praetor's shields down. But it was not to be; another shot from the Reaper pierced through the vessel's core, triggering explosions that ripped the destroyer apart. Valerian swore and pounded his fist on the nearby railing; there would be no escape pods from that.

"Sir!" an Ensign shouted suddenly. "Scanners have something _huge_ approaching through warpspace!"

"Damn it! More Reapers?" Valerian asked.

"Negative, sir. It's-"

There was a sudden rush of motion off to the side, as an utterly massive creature emerged from FTL, 8000 meters long with glowing purple 'eyes' – a Primal-Zerg Leviathan.

"Kerrigan…" Valerian said with relief.

"_And __**this**__ is why I didn't go hunting for Amon after I killed Arcturus…_" Sarah Kerrigan said over the comm.

More Zerg Leviathans emerged, the space-faring organic titans catching the Reapers by surprise due to their sudden appearance, their sheer size, and that most of the machines had never seen anything like them before. The Leviathans' mouths opened, and streams of superhot bio-plasma shot out, impacting and melting through Reaper shields. The titans also dispatched hordes of flying Zerg – Mutalisks, Guardians, Devourers, and Scourges, all bearing the purple pigmentation and eyes of Kerrigan's Primal Hive-Mind; they engaged Oculus drones and Reaper Destroyers, some of them even starting to whittle away at unshielded Reaper Dreadnoughts, their tiny size allowing them to more often than not dodge the Reapers' attempts to shoot them back.

"_Great timing, darlin'_" Raynor said. "_Let's show these overgrown cuttlefish what happens when you piss off all three of the Koprulu Sector's major races._"

"_All forces, form up with our allies!_" Executor Selendis ordered her fleet. "_Heavy carriers, focus fire on Praetor! Interceptors, keep their drones off the _Hyperion_! Destroyers and cruisers, coordinate with the humans & Zerg and start culling their Dreadnoughts' numbers!_"

"_We've pinpointed some locations groundside where the Protoss and marines are having trouble_" Kerrigan said. "_Sending some Zerg down to help take the heat off them. We'll show those cyber-reanimates why the rush tactic they're trying is named after us, not them._"

Zerg drop-pods were deployed from some of the Leviathans, dropping down towards Shakuras' surface with the goal of inflicting further casualties on the invading Reaper forces. Meanwhile, Kerrigan's Leviathan fired another bio-plasma blast at Praetor, weakening the Leader-type Reaper's shields further. The Reaper fired its beam at the Leviathan, but the titan moved to the side, its thick hide withstanding the glancing blow as it cut a comparatively-narrow glowing-hot gash along its side. A fusion-cannon shot from the _Bucephalus_ took Praetor's shields the rest of the way down, but the mechanical monster fired its own gun again; the Dominion battlecruiser shuddered as its shields failed to stop 100% of the shot, a burning line being cut across the ship's top. Then, however, another fusion-cannon shot, courtesy of the _Hyperion_, struck Praetor full-on from behind. The hyper-concentrated thermonuclear blast was a fatal blow, burning/blasting a hole almost completely through the Reaper, obliterating its core. Praetor's lights went out completely, and the Leader-subtype Reaper drifted in space, quite dead. The _Bucephalus_ blasted it again for good measure, blowing it to pieces.

Within seconds of Praetor's death, the remaining Reapers received a single order transmitted from Harbinger: "**WITHDRAW FOR NOW**". Obeying, they fell back toward the warp-rift, sporadically firing at the Terran/Zerg/Protoss forces to keep them from pursuing as they passed through the rift back to Realm ME-N7. The few Reapers currently groundside lifted off as well, making for an escape; not all of them made it out of the atmosphere, and most of those who did were also destroyed by the waiting fleets. The Husk forces, bereft of leadership, still continued to fight, but without support or reinforcement of their numbers from their masters, they would eventually be wiped out by the Protoss and their allies over the next few days.

"_They are running?_" Stukov asked from aboard Kerrigan's Leviathan.

"_They're probably pulling back to reinforce their efforts in their home Realm_" Raynor replied. "_Maybe they wanna finish 'harvesting' there first so they can commit more of their number to this Realm afterward._"

"_Let us not give them the chance_" Artanis said. "_All Templars, focus your power on the warp-rift!_"

While no single Protoss could ever hope to psychically force the warp rift closed by himself, billions of them working in unison most certainly could, especially with assistance from Kerrigan and any sufficiently powerful human psyker aboard the fleets. The warp-rift destabilized, fluctuating, and then it abruptly collapsed.

"_Abathur, report._"

"_**N**__o casualties from strain of closing rif__**t**__. __**H**__owever, many Protoss exhausted by effort, even when workload spread out amongst billion__**s**__. __**N**__o permanent damage, but will need days to recove__**r**__._"

"We'll use those days to prepare for full-scale conflict" Valerian said. "We'll need every ship and every soldier at their best. Once we're ready, we'll move out to assist the rest of the Dimensional Defense Force against the Reapers."

"_I've been preparin' my people for this for months_" Raynor said. "_Just need a little time to get everything ready to roll._"

"_Let's hope everyone's holding out for that long…_" Kerrigan replied.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Realm LN-34 – Beacon System – Midchilda**

A Reaper Destroyer collapsed dead with an earth-shaking thud, a hole blasted through to its core by a Ragnarok Breaker. Hayate panted lightly as she floated back down to the ground, observing her handiwork. Around her, the others finished taking out the Husk forces that had been accompanying the Destroyer in its march toward Eragen, intent on 'harvesting' the city's populace. The past few days since the invasion started, they'd been all over the planet, splitting up and rejoining as needed to handle various trouble spots, and today they'd just happened to be together to discuss strategy when they'd detected the Destroyer coming and had moved to intercept. Now, on the quiet battlefield, they gathered together.

"We can't keep this up forever" Teana said. "They're gonna grind us down eventually."

"We have to hold out for as long as we can" Hayate replied. "We have to hope help will come before we reach that point."

Up in space, the vast majority of the Bureau Navy was still engaged with the space-side Reapers. It was so far a stalemate; the Bureau had a slight advantage, but that was nullified by how each time a Reaper was slain, another came through the warp-rift as replacement. Plus, there was Pinnacle, the Leader-subtype Reaper proving capable of taking and dealing damage its lesser brethren could not.

"This is gonna get a hell of a lot worse before it gets better" Vita replied. "_If_ it gets better."

"Don't say that" Nanoha replied. "It _will_ get better. It _has_ to."

"And what if it doesn't? What if… What if help _doesn't_ come in time? What if we lose, and the Reapers kill or 'harvest' us all? …What if we've spent the past several months preparing for a fight that's still just plain unwinnable – wasting time level-grinding for a boss with infinite HP and a one-hit-kill attack?"

"Pessimistic fatalism isn't like you, Vita" Signum said.

"You know as well as I do we've _never_ faced anything even close to this."

The girls jumped as a deep boom sounded from above. They looked, and saw as a dead Reaper Dreadnought plummeted from the sky, shedding parts as it fell towards the mountains. High up above, the Bureau ships that had killed it were already engaged with others of its kind.

"At least we're not going down without a fight" Ginga remarked as she watched the Reaper Dreadnought crash and fragment against a mountain.

"But how much fight do we have left?" Fate replied.

Suddenly, Raising Heart chimed.

"Attention," the AI stated, "long-range sensors detect multiple signatures approaching through slipstream space. Trajectory suggests they are coming from Naval Headquarters. Signals do not match those of typical Bureau ships."

"Are there any satellites or ships we can tap into the external cameras of?" Nanoha asked her Device.

"Working…"

After a few seconds, a holo-screen formed, showing the view from a recon satellite that the Reapers had yet to destroy. Space-time warped and shifted, and a multitude of Sangheili and TSAB ships emerged from slipspace, opening fire on the Reapers.

"The Sangheili are here!" Nanoha said. "See? I _told_ you help would come!"

"There is something else coming" Raising Heart reported. "Something even larger."

A very large slipspace rift opened; 'Group Nanoha' at first thought a fleet must be coming through such a big 'opening'. But instead, what emerged had their jaws drop. It had changed quite a bit since they last saw it; the large ventral fin had been removed, its old blue and gold colors replaced with silver and white, the TSAB coat of arms printed on its side, its entire form bristling with various types of weapon emplacements – magical, projectile, and directed-energy – that hadn't been there originally, and what looked like two very large weapons of some sort built into the bases of the 'wings', with a third slung under / built into the 'chin'. Though it had changed, the 14-kilometer dreadnought was immediately recognizable to the group groundside and to everyone else who saw it.

"The refitted _Saint's Cradle_…" Teana said, reading the ship's new name printed on its side. "The _Olivie_…"

Plasma torpedoes and particle beams from the Sangheili ships joined ship-grade 'breaker cannon' beam-shots from the TSAB vessels, lancing out at the Reaper forces orbiting Midchilda. Seconds later, the _Olivie_'s weapons sprang to life, mass-drivers and plasma-beam turrets opening fire. Some of the Reapers actually seemed to panic at seeing a hostile ship so utterly massive and well-armed, some trying to get some distance from the behemoth while others immediately scrambled to return fire, concentrating their main weapons on the Bureau dreadnought. However, this left them vulnerable to the Bureau/Sangheili fleet, which used the opportunity to destroy more of the distracted Reapers; meanwhile, the dreadnought's massive power core enabled it to be outfitted with proportionately powerful shields, which easily withstood the shots that hit it (so far).

The gun-ports on/in the forward bases of the _Olivie_'s 'wings' glowed with charging power. After several seconds, they fired two humongous beams of raw destructive magical energy – jumbo-sized 'breaker cannons'. The beams obliterated three Reapers, burning through their shields and then their ancient metal bodies with only a couple seconds of sustained fire. Pinnacle, the leader of the Reaper force invading this system, tried to lead its brethren in a counterattack, but took a few hits from Sangheili plasma torpedoes that heavily weakened its shields. The orange-lighted Reaper was then unable to get out of the way of a blast from the _Olivie_'s chin-mounted heavy breaker cannon, burning a huge hole right through the evil technorganic entity, obliterating its power source and its sapience core. The Reaper corpse was then unceremoniously shoved aside as the _Olivie_ brushed past it, firing its multiple secondary weapons at more of the Reapers.

Within minutes, the Reapers began a retreat from the Beacon system, falling back through the warp-rift. Those groundside tried to escape as well, though only around half made it all the way to the rift. They would fall back for now, until they had conquered enough of Realm ME-N7 to spare more of their number for trying to take Midchilda again at a later date. The TSAB ships in-system then moved toward the rift, and half a dozen of them fired synchronized Arc-en-Ciel shots at it, the combined force destabilizing and collapsing the rift.

Down on the planet, outside the city of Eragen, Nanoha smiled as she patted Vita on the head.

"See?" she chirped. "I told you we'd be okay."

"_{STATIC}ate? Hayate?_"

With the Reapers having left, their comm.-jamming field was finally down. After days of worry, Hayate finally heard her dear friend's voice again.

"Reinforce?" she replied. "Are you okay?"

A holo-screen sprang up, showing an image distorted with static but rapidly clearing up, showing the face of the human who'd been born 110,000 years ago, rescued and trained by the Librarian, and sent to LN-34 only to be bound to the Book of Darkness until her recent resurrection.

"_Thank goodness_" Reinforce breathed out. "_I've been trying to contact you for days now. You look alright. What's happened?_"

"A Sangheili fleet and the _Olivie_ just chased the Reapers away from Midchilda and sealed the breach they'd used to cross over to this Realm. Where are you right now?"

"_The… The Reapers hit Midchilda?-!_"

"We're _fine_. Like I just said, the DDF chased them off."

"_Okay…_" the ancient human gathered herself. "_Precia-san and I have been here on En-Hazred, investigating a Forerunner site we found here; it seems they visited Al-Hazred's hotter 'sister' planet as well. We've almost lost three of our people to local predators, but other than that things are calm over here. …Now that we know what's happened, we'll be over there as soon as we can. How are things over there?_"

"We've taken some losses," Fate replied, "but nothing too heavy. That said, it'll probably be a week or two before the Bureau's ready to hop over to ME-N7 and join the fight for real."

"I, of course, won't be waiting that long" Teana chimed in. "The _minute_ I have the ability to go check on any of my other team-members, I'm doing so."

"We'll try to make contact with Admiral Hackett," Hayate said, "find out the state of things over there. It's probably not too good…"

"_Alright. As I said, we'll be there soon. Get some rest; you probably need it. I'll see you in person soon. Reinforce out._"

"This was just the opening battle…" Signum said. "We'd best prepare ourselves; the _real_ war starts now."

"Let's head back to base for now" Subaru said. "I need a shower and a nap."

"I'll join you" Teana replied. "We'll help clear out surviving Husk forces after we've recuperated a bit."

In orbit, the Bureau and Sangheili ships began established perimeters, rescuing lifepods, enacting repairs, and dispatching ground troops to the planet below to engage remaining cyber-zombie forces, as the _Olivie_ stayed in position, keeping a watchful 'eye' over all.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: Back to Realm ME-N7, as Team Shepard goes to save the students of Grissom Academy


	7. School's Out For Summer

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Realm ME-N7 – Petra Nebula – Vetus System – approaching Grissom Academy**

**CODEX: **"_The Jon Grissom Academy, founded in 2176, is the Alliance's premier school for young human Biotics. The institution is housed in a space station in orbit over the human colony of Elysium. Its main program, the Ascension Project, is designed to train and monitor young Biotics as well as help them integrate into society after graduation. Unlike the project's previous incarnation, Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training, or BAaT, the training is not exclusively military in nature. The academy also employs scientific personnel, including Dr. Kahlee Sanders, to develop synthetic intelligence systems and Biotic amplifiers like the new L4 implants._"

**SPECS: **_1100m long, 375,000 metric tons_

"And there's the folks who answered the distress call" Joker said as the _Normandy II_ flew toward the large, silver cross-shaped station with a smaller, black-and-gold craft alongside it. "Cerberus heavy cruiser, and at least a dozen fighters on blockade duty. Too many for us in a straight-up fight. They must want this place bad."

"Receiving incoming transmission" EDI reported.

"Let's hear it" Shepard replied from his spot behind the two.

"_SSV _Normandy-2_, this is Kahlee Sanders, director of Grissom Academy. We need immediate assistance. Cerberus is attacking the facility. They're after my students._"

"This is Commander Shepard. We're blocked on a direct approach."

"_I know. They've taken control of our docking bays._"

"Any alternatives?"

"_There's an auxiliary cargo port I could probably open…_"

"Alright. We'll come in by shuttle and get your students out of there. Joker, can you give me a diversion?"

"Boy, can I!" the pilot replied with a grin, cracking his knuckles and getting to work.

A few minutes later, a UT-47A Kodiak shuttle departed from the _Normandy II_. As the little cloaked shuttle made its way toward the academy station, the stealth-attack frigate sprang into action, zooming down past the structure. The Cerberus fighters immediately broke off to pursue, as Joker made 'his' ship dance, nimbly dodging their shots and taunting them while stern-mounted point-defense guns sent a few shots back at the pursuers.

Soon, a quartet of people – Shepard, Liara, Javik, and Marie – were aboard Grissom Academy, cautiously moving down a hallway with guns drawn. As soon as they moved through the door ahead, they caught sight of two Cerberus troopers trying to open a locked door across the way, and a third trying to get into a server room to the side that had the door opened a crack. Shepard and Liara took out the two far Troopers with a pair of Warp attacks, while Javik used his particle rifle to bring down the third before he could react. With the way clear, Shepard moved up to the slightly-ajar door.

"Sanders," he said, "we're clear. It's me."

The door opened fully, revealing a woman with pale-blonde hair in an Alliance officer uniform, holding a shotgun which she lowered upon seeing the group.

"Commander," she said, "thank you. Admiral Anderson always said you were the best. And with Cerberus coming for my students, I need the best."

"How many of you are there?" he asked her.

"Fewer than 20" she replied as she headed over to a console. "Most were sent home when word of the Reaper invasion spread. But a few volunteered to stay. Some are prototyping tech for the Alliance. Others are Biotics; they've been training for military operations, working together as Biotic artillery."

"You said something about Admiral Anderson…"

"Yes. We met – God, what's it been? – 20 years ago, when he was a Spectre candidate. I was there when Saren betrayed him. David saved my life that day. He's a good man."

"He was on Earth when the Reapers hit. He stayed behind when I got off-world."

"I hadn't heard… We've been cut off from most news. He's alive?"

"Alive and fighting; he's currently leading the resistance movement."

"Good. If we get out of here… Well, just tell him to stay alive. For now, we need to focus on getting the students out; some of them are looking forward to contributing."

"A few months knocking over practice dummies can't prepare your students for war."

"Agreed, but the Alliance needs every resource it can get, and our students are unique… resources. They wanted to help. How could we say no with the entire galaxy falling apart?" Her attention was drawn as one of her terminals made a series of low beeps. "Hang on; I've been trying to get communications working."

"_This is Froeberg! There are students trapped in Orion Hall! Cerberus has us boxed in; they're closing fast!_"

"Orion Hall?" Shepard asked as he checked and readied his N7 Hurricane.

"Back out the door and down the hallway" Sanders replied. "I can get the door open." 

"I'll bring them back here and we'll make a run for the shuttle."

"Thank you, Commander. I'll stay put. With luck, I can regain control of some of our systems."

The team moved on through the now-unlocked door, coming into a lobby; their destination was to the right, but straight ahead, on the other side of a thick glass wall, a Grissom Academy student was flailing and struggling as two Cerberus Troopers dragged him by the legs to the left, an Engineer following. The thick 'glass' withstood rounds from Shepard's pistol, but then Marie switched Charon to Annihilator-Bolt mode, charged a shot, and then injected a Magic Cartridge into it and fired. The resulting blast combined sonic force with rapidly-shifting positive and negative energy to obliterate the transparent barrier and knocked the surprised Cerberus personnel off their feet. Javik Biotically grabbed the Engineer into the air and then slammed him into the ground with instantly lethal force, while Shepard and Liara used their pistols to take down the two Troopers before they could recover their wits fully.

"Get to Sanders" Shepard said to the student. "She's back behind us, in the server room."

The youth nodded, climbing over the 'window'-frame and hurrying back the way Team Shepard had come. The team, meanwhile, moved through the right-hand door into another near-identical room.

"_Attention all students,_" a man with a stuffy-sounding British accent said over the intercom, "_Cerberus troops have taken control of this station. We have no desire to hurt you. Surrender, and you will not be harmed._"

The next room was different, larger, and separated in parts. In the center section, two Cerberus soldiers were harassing a young man in the center of a Biotic Barrier.

"Railey Bellarmine," one Trooper said, "drop the barrier, now! Nobody's going to hurt you; the file says we need _you_ alive. But your sister? She's optional. You give us trouble, we'll _find_ her…"

Having heard enough, Marie fired a Concussion Missile at the back of one of the Troopers, blasting away most of his back armor and shoving him forward into the active Barrier, which rent at his armor and bounced him back to fall to the floor. Meanwhile, the other Trooper tried to turn and face the interlopers only to be frozen by Liara's Stasis, leaving him open to a few headshots from Shepard. The first Trooper, wounded, tried to stagger to his feet only to take a particle-beam to the head from Javik, putting him down. As Team Shepard approached, the youth lowered his Barrier.

"There may be more nearby" Shepard told him. "Play dead until it's safe, then get to Kahlee Sanders at security."

"Okay," Railey replied, "but my sister Seanne is out here somewhere, too."

"We'll find her if we can" Liara said.

The team hopped over into a classroom, passing through a short hall into another one, and they took cover as, on the far side, an academy student was gunned down mid-run.

"Watch the headshots!" a Cerberus Trooper was heard. "Orders are to take them alive!"

"Check the file" a second said. "Who was it?"

"Honaker. Some kind of math genius. Low priority."

"Good. No loss. Next time, remember to check the file."

Marie growled, readying Charon in Power-Bolt mode. As Cerberus forces – two Troopers and a Centurion – entered the classroom from the far side, Marie leaned out and fired a charged shot at one of the Troopers. At the same time, Shepard hit the Centurion with an Overload, draining his shields and making him stagger back at the same time the charged blast hit a Trooper in the face. Javik's particle rifle pushed the other Trooper back and burned through his armor, and a shot from Liara's pistol finished it. The Centurion tried to pull out and throw a smoke grenade, but a well-placed round from Shepard's pistol shot his hand off, and a handful of Hurricane rounds put him down.

"_There are Alliance soldiers on the station now_" the snooty-sounding Cerberus speaker said. "_They claim they want to help you. But all they're doing is threatening your safety. Please don't risk getting caught in the crossfire. Surrender now._"

The classroom led to a large multi-section lounge area, a few weapons and crates of ammo laid out on some of the seats. And in one corner of the room, the team found a girl, maybe only a little older than Marie, barely holding herself up on the floor.

"Stay back…" she said weakly. "I'll… I'll…"

"Goddess, she's bleeding" Liara said. "Shepard, we need to help her!"

Between the two of them, Shepard and Liara were able to get the girl patched up; in the process, they saw her nametag.

"Seanne," Shepard said, "can you hear me?"

"How do you know my name?" she asked.

"We saved your brother Railey. He's with Kahlee Sanders at security. Can you get to her?"

"Yeah… I just need to rest for a minute. Thank you."

The group continued on, and as they approached a door the Cerberus announcer came on again.

"Will someone shut him up?" Marie said, exasperated.

"There!" Javik pointed to a device with the Cerberus logo on it, hooked up to some cables running up to one of the speakers. Shepard pulled his pistol out and shot the device a few times, disabling it.

"_Is this thing working?_" Sanders' voice now came over the station's speakers. "_Shepard, you're a miracle worker. Students, if you can hear me, this is Kahlee Sanders. I am still alive, and help is coming! Commander Shepard and an Alliance team are here to rescue us! Stay safe. Get to me if you can, or send me a message if you need help. I'm in the security station near the room where we had Holly's birthday party._"

The team moved through the doorway and down another short passage, finally reaching Orion Hall. The room was wide open, with two levels, a control room of sorts overlooking from the second level. In the center of the room, several academy students were boxed in by Cerberus soldiers. However, amongst them was a figure who looked quite different – a woman of slender build, wearing dull-white pants and a 'shirt' of white bandages beneath a black leather jacket, her head shaved except for a 'stripe' of hair down the center that led into a high topknot/ponytail. Her body flared blue as she hit two Cerberus Troopers with a Biotic Throw that slammed them into a wall.

"Jack?" Shepard called out.

The former 'Subject Zero' turned to look in surprise, but had to quickly get back into the game as a Cerberus Atlas mech began trying to squeeze through a doorway, crouching down to fit through. Jack ran forward, sliding beside an academy student and bringing up a Biotic Barrier just in time to block a shot from the Atlas' cannon as it emerged through the opening. As the student ran, Jack stared up at the mech, Biotic power concentrating in her arms. Suddenly, a charged Wave-Bolt shot hit it from the side, weakening its shields and drawing its attention as the members of Team Shepard opened fire.

"Everyone, get down!" Jack shouted to the students. "This thing's outta your league! Shepard, keep it off us!"

Shepard and Marie started hitting the Atlas with Overloads and Wave-Bolt shots, trying to take down its shields with help from the team's weapons. Suddenly, across the room, Cerberus troopers emerged from another door, trying to get up the stairs to where the students were taking cover even as Jack fired Warps and Throws at them. Javik, realizing his weapon set was better suited, rushed over to engage them, blindsiding a Centurion with a Warp while blasting Troopers in the head with his particle rifle. He took position at the foot of the stairs, shooting and Biotically attacking any Cerberus soldiers that came in.

By now, the Atlas' shields were down, and the team dodged and moved between cover to avoid cannon-fire and the occasional rocket as they started using Warps from Liara, Dark-Bolt shots from Marie, and Warps & Incinerates from Shepard to try and damage the heavily-armored war-mech. Marie injected a Mana Cartridge and fired a Darkburst attack, the dark-energy 'rift' tearing at the Atlas' armor on a molecular scale, weakening and damaging it while also disorienting the pilot. Shepard then slammed into the unbalanced mech with a Biotic Charge, knocking it onto its back. He used his Omniblade to pierce through the cockpit canopy, and dropped a grenade in. He leapt free, rolling away just as the explosion gutted the Atlas from inside.

"Kahlee said she was putting out an SOS," Jack called out from above with a grin, "but I had no idea the King of the Boy Scouts would show up!" She then turned to her students. "All right, amp check! Prangley, those fields were weak! Cerberus isn't gonna lie down outta pity like that girl you took to prom. You guys grab juice and an energy bar; we move in five."

She leapt down to the first floor (using Biotics to slow her fall) and walked up to Shepard… and slugged him across the jaw.

"Damn it, how many times did I tell you not to trust Cerberus?-!"

"You're not telling me anything I haven't told myself, Jack" he replied, rubbing his face.

"Aw, you feel bad? Well, shit, I bet that's comforting to all the people Cerberus has _killed_."

"I'd forgotten how angry she was" Liara remarked.

"Whereas I barely remember you at all, Blue" Jack replied.

Liara allowed a tiny smirk. "Your real first name is Jennifer. I can find your last name, too, if you ask politely."

"…What."

"Liara's an intel broker" Shepard said. "A really, _really_ good one."

"I guess so… Hey, Marie; still kickin', huh?"

"Yeah" Gamma-4 replied. "I was on Palaven when the Reapers rolled in; Shepard got me and Garrus out. We got Sarah and Asa, too; haven't heard from the others, though."

"Hmm…" Then, Jack turned her attention to Javik. "Don't think I've seen your kind before, but something about you is… familiar… Wait a sec; armor configuration, head shape, eye placement…" Jack's eyes widened. "Shepard, where the hell did you find a _live Prothean_?-!"

A few of the students listening in above gasped.

"Javik was in a stasis pod on Eden Prime" the Commander replied.

"There _were_ supposed to be around 500,000 of us," Javik said, "but only the power supply of _my_ pod survived the millennia."

"Damn… Okay, moving on, we got bigger shit to do; right now, all I care about is getting my guys out of here."

"Your guys?" Shepard asked.

Jack looked back at the students, a soft smile gracing her features. "Yeah" she said. "I guess so."

"I can't think of anybody who could care about them more."

"Well, I had some free time while you were off playing hero and making nice with the Alliance big-wigs. Alliance brass knew I helped you. They offered me this, and apparently the students responded well to my teaching style…"

"The psychotic Biotic!" Prangley said.

"I will destroy you!"

"Drink your juice, Rodriguez" Jack said. "You couldn't destroy wet tissue paper."

"_Cortez to extraction team. The Cerberus cruiser is coming back._"

"How long have we got?" Shepard asked.

"_Two minutes tops, Commander. After that, there's no way we'll get past them._"

Shepard looked back up at the students. "…Get out of here and back to the _Normandy_. We'll find another way off the station."

"_Roger that. Good luck, sir._"

"Shepard to Sanders: the students are safe, but the shuttle's a no-go."

"_Understood_" Kahlee replied. "_I might know another way off the station, but I need station-wide camera access. Can you disable the Cerberus security override? It's routed through Orion Hall, so it should be nearby._"

"How does camera access get us off this station?" he asked as he began searching the room.

"_We need to reach the Cerberus shuttles. The cruiser won't auto-target friendly ships, which gives us a fighting chance to escape. Get me back the cameras, and I'll find you a path to the shuttles that'll keep Cerberus from boxing you in._"

"Found it!" Marie said, standing by a Cerberus laptop in a corner. Liara was able to quickly hack in and disable it.

"You should have access now" Shepard radioed.

"_Got it. …The fastest way is through the Atrium, but Cerberus has sealed the doors. You'll need to disable the magnetic locks. The overrides should be directly above the door._"

Shepard soon spotted the door in question, down a short hallway that ran directly beneath the second-floor control room the students were in. Before heading up, however, he decided to check on Jack first.

"I have to say, Jack. You look good."

"Yeah, well… maybe some of your attitude rubbed off on me. I never had a family. And these guys… Anyone screws with my students, I will _tear them apart_."

"What's so valuable about these students?" he asked. "Biotically, I mean."

"Well, what's scarier than a pissed-off Biotic attacker? A whole bunch of them working together. It's like a Biotic artillery strike – any asshole gets in our way, we rip 'em to shreds."

"Doesn't that exhaust them?"

"Yeah, sure. But we've been working on conditioning, improving endurance. Whenever they complain, I tell them about the Collector Base – holding that damn Biotic bubble up against those bug things… I kept thinking, 'Damn, let the Salarian handle this! He can talk 'em to death!'"

"How are they handling the war?"

"How do you think? They're a bunch of teenagers. Until a few months ago, their biggest concern was getting laid."

"You don't think they're ready for war?"

"I don't think they have a choice."

"So… all this talk about Biotic artillery strikes…"

"It's great in theory. Maybe they'll get it together once they've seen some action."

"But…"

"They'd be better off as support" she admitted. "Put them in the back ranks, helping with barriers and shit. I don't know."

"Have you told them that?"

"No! They need me to believe in them. I did pick up a few things listening to your damned speeches."

"Alright. Stay close; we'll get you out of here."

Shepard and Liara headed up to the second floor, where the students were finishing up their rest and chatting with each other. A terminal was connected to a monitor showing the door below, and Shepard keyed the necessary commands in.

"_That's it_" Sanders radioed. "_You should be able to force the door open now._"

Soon, Team Shepard was at the door, while Jack and the students gathered a ways back, at the mouth of the 'tunnel' leading to it. Shepard used his cyborg strength to force the door open.

"Everyone be ready" he called back. "We'll go in first and draw their fire."

"We'll shadow you from the second level and hit those bastards from above" Jack replied.

"A wise strategy" Javik remarked aside to Shepard. "It will [AN: CANNOT FIND JAVIK DIALOGUE ON YOUTUBE OR GOOGLE]"

"Just time your shots and stay safe" Shepard told the group.

"All right," Jack said as she turned to her students, "I didn't bust my ass training you so you could die now. Keep low, and pick your targets."

"_Students of Grissom Academy,_" the accented voice of the Cerberus commander said, broadcasting over the students' omnitools, "_the station is sealed. The Alliance soldiers cannot save you. All they can do is get you killed. Surrender peacefully, and you won't be harmed._"

"Asshole" Jack growled.

"_Damn it,_" Sanders said, "_they're messaging __everyone__. Students, switch your omnitools to privacy mode so they can't track you!_"

"What if…" Rodriguez spoke up. "What if they're not lying?"

"You've already held your own against them" Shepard replied. "You've _proven_ you can stand up to them! You've been trained by one of the best."

"Come on, Rodriguez," Jack said, "They're only asking nicely 'cause you scared them in that last fight. So take your balls outta your purse, and _kick some ass_."

"…Yes, ma'am"

Team Shepard moved on, sealing the door behind them and passing through the short hallway to reach the atrium. The greenery-filled area was crawling with Cerberus troops and hardware, including an Atlas mech down in the lowest section that fired a rocket up at the team; Liara hit the warhead with a Warp that detonated it prematurely, the concussion stunning a few Cerberus Troopers below it, leaving them vulnerable to fire from Javik. As Shepard and Liara engaged a few Guardians making their way up toward them, Marie rushed in, magic-propelled speed letting her bypass the foot-soldiers and make her way toward the Atlas. She used a Round Shield to block a shot from its cannon, and then charged Charon in Wave-Bolt mode, injected a mana cartridge, and fired a 'Wavebuster'. The stream of violet electrical energy completely drained the Atlas' shields and did some damage to its systems before cutting out, and the heavy mech fired a rocket at her. Marie rolled under the missile, running at the war machine as she switched Charon to Blade Mode, a triangular blade of violet magical energy forming from the barrel. She slashed at the Atlas' right leg, forcing it to kneel, and then she swung around & up onto its back. She cut a hole in the power core, and pulled a frag grenade from her belt, triggering it and shoving it into the opening. Leaping free, she flash-stepped back several meters just as the resulting explosion ripped the Atlas apart.

Jack's group arrived on the upper level, and started firing Throw and Warp attacks down at Cerberus' troops. Shepard hacked an auto-turret, turning it on the Cerberus Engineer who'd laid it down as well as his fellows, while Javik threw a Lift Grenade that hoisted two Guardians into the air, leaving them vulnerable to Liara's SMG fire. One of the students hit a Cerberus Engineer with a Stasis attack, leaving him helpless to Shepard's sniper fire, while Marie took out a Guardian with a charged Dark-Bolt shot from behind.

Team Shepard moved on to the other half of the room, just as many more Cerberus soldiers dropped in. Shepard and Marie took out a pair of Engineers, while Liara threw out a Singularity that snagged three Troopers; Javik then destabilized it with a Warp, the resulting Biotic explosion ripping the three hostiles apart. Jack and the students, meanwhile, continued firing Biotic attacks down at the Cerberus forces, some of whom tried shooting back whenever they could. Marie fired a Crossfire Shot barrage, the purple energy bolts curving around a pair of Guardians' shields to strike them from behind. A last wave of hostiles came from a door on the middle level, including a pair of Engineers who deployed a pair of turrets. Shepard hacked one turret, letting it and the other shred each other; the hacked turret won, though badly damaged and quickly destroyed by a Trooper. Javik's particle rifle burned through said Trooper's armor and chest, while Shepard used a Biotic Slam to take out one of the Engineers, and a charged Wave-Burst shot and Concussion Missile from Marie took out the other. Finally, the last two Troopers fell to Liara's SMG.

"Everyone okay up there?" Shepard called up.

"Rodriguez took one in the arm, because she _didn't watch her barriers_!" Jack replied, scolding her student."

"_Commander,_" Sanders radioed, "_I've reached the Cerberus shuttles without being detected. They know what we're doing, though. You need to hurry._"

After catching their breath, reloading, and scavenging thermal clips from the dead Cerberus soldiers, Team Shepard moved through a far-side lower door, passing through a small lobby and entering a long hallway; further down, two Cerberus Troopers were camped out next to a dome-shaped energy field surrounding a pylon and three academy students.

"That's an impressive barrier, Octavia" one Trooper said. "Our file says you've been working on shield technology."

Seeing the perfect opportunity presented to him, Shepard readied his N7 Valiant, aiming down the scope at the back of one Cerberus Trooper's head, then the other. After going back & forth a few times to be sure he could pull the shots off, he fired; one Trooper's skull contents and helmet fragments scattered forward, the other's following a split-second later from the second shot. With the way clear, the team moved up to the barrier, weapons down.

"I don't know who you are," the young woman named Octavia said, "but stay back!"

"I'm Commander Shepard with the Systems Alliance. We're here to help."

"I didn't buy it from the last guy and I've got no reason to buy it now."

Suddenly, another of the students in the barrier – a young man with a shaved head, crouched down by the shield pylon's base – spoke up as he looked over the readouts.

"The square root of 906.01 equals-"

"30.1" Shepard finished.

The young man looked up, and Marie bit back a gasp as she remembered that face.

"Hello, Commander Shepard."

"David, you know him?" the third student asked.

"Yes" David Archer replied. "He rescued me from Cerberus, sent me here. He made it quiet."

Looking to each other, the other two students then lowered the barrier.

"You did a great job keeping yourselves safe" Shepard told them. "The Biotic students are up there" he gestured. "Stay close; they'll get you out of here."

"Okay" Octavia replied. "Uh… thanks."

As she and the other male student left, David got up from his work.

"I remember you" he said, looking at Marie. "You were part of the team on Aite. …Sorry."

"You've got nothing to be sorry for" Marie replied in a gentle tone. "None of it was your fault."

"Has Grissom Academy been all right?" Shepard asked him.

"Yes. …I've been counting."

"Anything in particular?"

"The number of days you lengthened my life." He turned back to look at a door other than the exit. "The security office; I hacked the lock. Lots of guns; they should help you. Goodbye for now."

As David went to follow his classmates, Team Shepard entered the security office, grabbing a few weapons and mods which Marie stored in her Device's standard subspace-storage 'pocket' for now. The team moved on, grabbing schematics for Biotic amp interfaces from a terminal along the way, passing through a lobby with damaged furniture arranged into a barricade. In the next room, they came out behind a Cerberus Engineer looking over an Atlas mech. Shepard snuck behind him and, in one smooth motion, wrapped his arm around the Engineer's neck from behind and drove his Omniblade through the man's chest. After tossing the dead man aside, he grinned as he eyed the ready and waiting heavy mech…

Soon, Team Shepard made their way up the stairs into the main hall, led by the Atlas which had its Cerberus logos covered up by projected-hologram Systems Alliance emblems. Shepard brought the heavy mech across the hall, firing its cannon at the few Cerberus soldiers firing up at the second level, where Jack was maintaining a barrier around the students.

"Head over to the shuttle, two-by-two!" Jack ordered them. "Prangley, Rodriguez, stay close!"

As students started heading back from the barrier and toward the hangar, Jack and the others maintained the Biotic barrier, covering the runners, while also firing Warps and Throws at the Cerberus soldiers beginning to file in from the other side of the hall. Liara, Javik, and Marie took cover, while Shepard's Atlas stood tall in the center, right below the barrier. Cerberus forces started coming in from the far left, and Shepard put his Atlas' cannon to good use, a single well-placed shot blowing a plate-sized hole through a fully-shielded Centurion's chest. Javik's particle rifle and Marie's Power-Bolt shots took out three more Troopers, while a combined Warp from Jack and Liara tore a fourth apart.

A second wave emerged from a door on the right on the first floor. Two Guardians' shields were useless against the power of the Atlas' cannon, while Liara tossed out a Singularity that snatched up three Troopers for Javik to gun down, and Marie used a charged Wave-Bolt shot and a pistol shot to the head to take out a Centurion. More Cerberus forces came in from the door on the second level in the far right corner, moving along the second-floor catwalk toward Jack and the students. Shepard fired an Atlas missile at the Centurion leading the charge, blowing him to bits, and Marie threw a few grenades up into the paths of the Troopers, killing three and wounding four more, making them easy pickings for Javik.

Another wave of Cerberus troops came in from the right and the far-left openings. At the same time, another Atlas stomped up from the path Team Shepard had used to get here. Shepard and Marie started firing rockets, cannon shots, and Super-Missile shots at it as fast as they could, and Shepard's Atlas' shields took a pounding as the Cerberus Atlas returned fire. Finally, though, the enemy mech was overwhelmed, a Super-Missile blasting a hole in its lower front that Shepard fired a cannon shell into, hitting something vital and causing the mech to explode. He then turned his Atlas' guns on the remaining Cerberus forces engaging Liara and Javik, taking out a pack of Guardians and Centurions.

"Okay, we're all clear!" Jack shouted down. "Get your asses to the shuttles!"

As she hurried off, Shepard disembarked from the Atlas, and he & the others hurried through the door. In the hangar, Sanders was working on a console next to a pair of Cerberus Kodiaks.

"Kahlee, how's it going?" he asked.

"Shuttles are unlocked!" she replied as the crafts' doors swung open, students beginning to pile in.

"Take the controls, and get the students aboard."

"Wait!" Jack said. "Where the hell's Rodriguez?"

The two of them heard gunfire, and hurried over to a thick window looking into a lobby, where Rodriguez ran into cover, three Cerberus Troopers chasing her and closing in.

"She needs covering fire!" Shepard started pounding at the glass with the butt of his Valiant.

"She needs more than that!" Jack replied, gathering Biotic power and then releasing it in a shockwave that shattered the window and knocked the Cerberus troops off their feet.

Shepard hopped over, grabbing Rodriguez and helping her to her feet, supporting her as they made a run for it. Jack fired a shotgun at the Cerberus troops, killing one, and then hurried behind them. They got into the last shuttle, bullets pinging off the sides near the doors, and the shuttle closed up and took off, making a hasty exit from Grissom Academy.

"Joker, we've flown out on a pair of Cerberus shuttles. Watch your fire."

"_Right, I've got you on sensors. Should be just a minute._"

"Thank you, Commander" Sanders said. "We'd have never gotten off that station if you hadn't come."

"Screw that" Jack replied. "We kicked ass! Next place we dock, you're all getting inked. My treat. What you guys want? Ascension Project logo? Glowing fist? Maybe a unicorn for Rodriguez?"

"Screw you, ma'am!" the young woman replied, still a bit out of breath.

"I can't believe we got them out alive" Sanders said. "I was going to suggest they stick to support roles. But perhaps they're ready after all."

Shepard and Jack looked to each other for a moment. "They're definitely ready," he replied, "but the Alliance needs them more in a support role."

"What?" Prangley frowned. "We trained for artillery strikes!"

"We don't need another artillery unit. We need stronger barriers for our front-line squads."

"This is bullshit!" Rodriguez exclaimed.

"Hey, if that's where they need us, that's where we go" Jack told them. "Besides, I'm sure we'll get some shots in."

"_Commander, we've got a visual on you now. Preparing to dock. Hey Jack, now that you're military, you gonna wear a uniform? Or are you just getting the officer's bars tattooed on?_"

"Shut up, Joker."

"…_I expected something with a bit more bite._"

"Jack promised to watch her language," Sanders replied, "in order to maintain the necessary professionalism we need from our teachers."

"_What, does she have a swear jar or something? 'Cause I bet if we emptied it we could afford another cruiser._"

"…Kids, cover your ears. Hey Joker, fu-"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

_**Normandy II**_**, Deck Two, QEC Room**

"_Shepard_" Admiral Anderson('s hologram) said. "_Damned if you aren't a sight for sore eyes._"

"Good to see you too, sir" Shepard replied.

"_Sir?_" Anderson chuckled. "_I don't recall giving you permission to get all formal on me, Commander._"

"Then I'm glad you managed to keep your ass alive, Anderson."

"_That's more like it. Looks like you didn't waste any time getting to work. …I can only imagine what would've happened to those kids if they'd fallen into Cerberus hands._"

"They're definitely eager to help."

"_These students are some of the best humanity has to offer, and we're throwing them into battle. Goddamn it, I hate this war. …Hackett didn't mention in his report…_"

"Kahlee Sanders is safe. She's with the recruits."

"_Thanks, Shepard. When I heard about the attack… well, I've already lost a lot of friends._"

"She asked me to tell you to stay alive."

The older man chuckled. "_Did she now? Well… Thanks, Shepard. This might be the first good news I've heard all week. Anderson out._"

The transmission ended, but before Shepard could even walk away the console began beeping again. He hit the button, and Admiral Hackett appeared.

"_Shepard, there's been a development; I've got some good news._"

"What's happened?"

"_The Reapers attacking Sanghelios, Shakuras, and Midchilda have been repulsed, and the warp-rifts they used to reach those worlds sealed. The UNSC, the Sangheili Alliance, Valerian Mengsk's Dominion, Raynor's people, the Primal Zerg, the Protoss, and the TSAB are all free to commit their forces to the cause; they're just going to take a week or so to repair, rearm, and prepare, and then they're all planning on crossing over and doing what they can to help against the Reapers and Cerberus here._"

"That's… great! I didn't expect we'd be getting their help so soon!"

"_We need it. Also, not every one of their ships will be taking the full week. The UNSC and Sangheili are sending a fleet to try and aid Equestria, and the _Starshot_ will be making for the Citadel soon; they'd like you to meet them there._"

"Will do, Admiral. Thank you for this information; we needed a little good news around here."

"_I'll keep you updated if anything else develops. Hackett out._"

Shepard headed out of the comm. room, moving to check on Joker.

"Hey Commander," the pilot said. "So… Jack's an instructor now? I guess anyone who messes with Biotic kids gets turned into a stain on the floor. And ceiling. Ooh, and that was Cerberus attacking the academy. Man, that must've been like Christmas for her! Anyway, nice job on gettin' them out of there."

"They were throwing out some impressive Biotic power" Shepard replied.

"Good. We could use some heavy hitters in the Biotics department. It'll be good for them, too. Biotics face a lot of discrimination. Maybe if they save the galaxy, people'll get over their issues."

"I didn't expect you to be sensitive about that."

"Hey, I'm just tired of them stealing the spotlight from people with actual disabilities. I break ribs if I sneeze too hard. Being able to move crap with your mind is not a handicap."

Next he headed down to Deck Three, and in the Port-side Observation Deck he caught sight of Allers in front of her camera, a serious expression on her face.

"Breaking now: A city of four million, blasted from orbit. Adelaide, Australia is no more. New footage from Earth reveals the Reapers' plans to attack large industrial centers. Which cities are next? Find out, on the Battle-Space."

In the mess hall, meanwhile, he found Garrus finishing off a Turian candy bar. The old warrior sighed.

"Y'know, one of the worst parts of this war is watching the kids react" he said. "If they're lucky, they grow up thinking the galaxy is basically a decent place. Some rough parts here and there, but for the most part life makes sense. Now they find out it was all a lie. They wake up to see these things in the dark that want to destroy everyone they ever cared about. If they survive, there'll be a lot of angry orphans out there looking for answers. Anyway, it looks like we beat Cerberus again. Do you think the Illusive Man fires lieutenants over failures like this? Or just lines them up against a wall and gets it over with?"

"He won't be too happy, that's for sure" Shepard replied. "We deprived him of a lot of potential 'resources' from Grissom."

"I wish they'd had a Grissom Academy for Turians when I was growing up. Always wanted to learn how to paint. Now I mostly paint walls with Reaper blood; not the same, but… it's a living."

"Hey guys" Marie said as she walked up. "What's new?"

"Some good news for once" Shepard replied. "Sanghelios, Shakuras, and Midchilda have managed to push the Reapers out of their space and seal the rifts they tore."

Marie's eyes widened. "You're kidding. …T-The Boss might be okay?"

"The _Starshot_'s going to meet us at the Citadel; we're heading there next."

Slowly, a huge smile formed on Marie's face, from the knowledge that a few more of her squadmates were probably okay. "I… I've gotta tell my sisters!" she shouted as she rushed off.

As Shepard headed back up to Deck 2 and up to the Galaxy Map, he noticed his private terminal had a few messages on it. Among them were a few from familiar people…

[AN: Cannot find transcript anywhere of "come visit me" emails from Ashley, Thane, and Miranda; sorry; will likely type out by hand in redo of this chapter next time I play through _ME3_ a few months from now]

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: Back to the Citadel, to meet with friends, help a certain crime queen-pin, and track down a Big Stupid Jellyfish


	8. Errands and Old Friends

Sorry for the wait; I've been alternatively busy and distracted.

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Realm ME-N7 – Near the Citadel**

A short (in astronomical terms) distance away from the five-armed station, two ships pulled up alongside each other. The 170-meter _Normandy II_ connected with a docking tube extended from the side of the 1600-meter _Starshot_, and the _N2_ ground team crossed over, accompanied by the Swanson sisters, Asa, and (fresh up from the Citadel, having been told by Kaidan to go see their teammates) Timmy & Mariko.

"Certainly quite a bit of sharp angles in Forerunner construction…" Javik murmured as he looked around. "And it seems they favored silver, blue, and orange where we favored black and green."

"Still hard to believe I'm on a ship over half again the size of an Alliance dreadnought" James remarked. "And it's _small_ compared to a lot of the DDF's other capital ships?"

"Wait 'til you see a Sangheili Alliance _Divinity_-class supercarrier" Marie replied. "They're humongous by _our_ standards."

"What, like 5 or 6 kilometers?"

"10,692 meters" EDI replied.

"Christ, seriously? You got ships a fourth the size of the damn Citadel?"

"Hey pal, that's nothin'" a UNSC marine said as he walked by. "The Bureau just finished refitting the _Saint's Cradle_, now the _Olivie_; she helped push the Reapers out of Midchilda."

"The _Cradle_…" Shepard mused. "I remember the recordings; some kinda Al-Hazredian super-dreadnought, right?"

"Yep! 14 kilometers end to end, the biggest ship any DDF member has ever even encountered, much less used. Only one of her, though; her makers never even built a second one of her class."

"Thing like _that_, one's all you'll ever need…" James said.

"Heyyyy~!"

The group turned to see a girl with red-orange hair and bright blue eyes, wearing her red and dull-purple Barrier Jacket with gold lining, running toward them. Sarah and Marie's eyes lit up, and they ran to her as well. Meeting in the middle, Sarah swept Teana into a tight hug, Marie catching up and joining in a half-second later, the three girls overwhelmed with relief and joy at seeing each other safe and sound.

"Thank the Saint…" Teana whispered, holding onto the girls for dear life as they did the same to her. "From the moment I realized what was happening, that Harbinger's invasion had begun, I've been worried sick. But now you two are here, and Shion & Ahsoka got off Shakuras, too; they're waiting in the closest rec-room from here."

"Any word from Mai and Kaede?" Marie asked.

Teana's smile faded. "Mai's still on Equestria" she replied. "The UNSC & Sangheili sent a fleet there earlier today, but they couldn't spare a full-sized one, and the Reapers there are pretty well dug-in and numerous, and we got a report from Canterlot saying they've got a Sovereign-type 'commander' Reaper commanding the assault – a blue-lights one calling itself 'Executor'…"

"Another command-subtype?" Garrus asked as he and the others came up.

"Yeah. There were two attacking Shakuras and Midchilda, named Praetor and Pinnacle, but they're both dead now. I overheard a communiqué stating there's another named Venator leading the assault on Lucavos, where Kae-chan still is. There wasn't one leading the attack on Sanghelios, though, and I hear Cybertron's not dealing with one, either; it's odd."

"I remember Legion saying there were only around 150 of them out of thousands of Reapers total" Shepard said. "Maybe all the rest are busy in this Realm."

"Hm…"

The whole group, led by Teana, headed to the closest rec-room. There, a handful more people were waiting – Subaru, Ginga, Ahsoka, Shion, Laicixa, Erio, & Caro. The three kids, upon seeing the arrivals, got up and ran toward their teammates Timmy, Erika, & Mariko, meeting in the middle in an enthusiastic six-person hug. Subaru and Ginga, meanwhile, walked over to their teammate Asa.

"Any word from the others?" Asa asked Sigma Team's second-in-command.

"They're all safe" Ginga replied. "They're on their way, in fact. All right, everyone! Let's all head to the translocation chamber; we've got a few more people coming."

As the whole group started down the halls of the _Starshot_, at times carried along by horizontal gravity lifts, Teana turned to the Swanson sisters.

"So," she said, "who're the two new guys in Team Shepard?"

"The big muscle-head-looking guy is James Vega" Sarah said. "Bit of a hotshot, but a damn good soldier. Smarter than he looks, too…" she smirked "well, a little."

"Hey, I saved the day on Mars, didn't I?" James chimed in.

"By crashing a shuttle."

"Into a Cerberus shuttle to prevent it from making off with vital intel."

"While you were flying a shuttle that had forward-facing heavy cannons that probably could've taken the Cerbie shuttle down without t-boning it and totaling the one you were flying."

"And the other?" Teana looked to the four-eyed, red-armored alien bringing up the rear.

Marie grinned. "Javik. He's a Prothean."

"…You're serious."

"Yep! Stasis pod on Eden Prime. He's, uh… kind of a jerk, though."

"Well, I probably would be too if I woke up to find out I was the last of my kind, and everyone had dismissed the warnings about the beings responsible as superstitious nonsense."

"Precisely" Javik rumbled. "I felt like I wanted to tear something in half when the Commander showed me the recording of your Councilors 'dismissing his claim'."

"For what it's worth, Javik-san, the other member-states of the Dimensional Defense Force believed the warnings about the Reapers as soon as we learned of them. We've been preparing as best we can ever since… though, the technology, durability, and sheer _numbers_ of the Reapers means those preparations still might not have really been enough…"

"Any is better than none."

Soon, they all arrived in the Forerunner Destroyer's translocation room, a large chamber with a good-sized interstellar, inter-Realm slipspace translocation portal projector up against the far wall; the _Starshot_ held the 'original', while a handful more had been constructed at a few important locations and on a chosen few ships like the UNSC _Infinity_. The blue-&-black portal came to life, and from it emerged Aqua Acionna, Mana Kirishima, Kaede Kanade, and Anya Cocolova. As Anya hurried over to join her teammates, the members of Sigma Team gathered together as well.

"Is everyone okay?" Aqua asked her team.

"We're fine, ma'am" Subaru replied. "A few close calls, but we're okay."

"I've never seen anything like them…" Mana said. "I mean, even their little ones are twice the height of an Evangelion! How are we supposed to fight _that_?"

"We'll probably be mainly deployed against their ground forces" Kaede K. said. "None of us have the power to take down an actual Reaper, but we can mow down Husk forces in droves."

"And that might be a little bit easier for our team now" Aqua said with a smile.

"Why's that?" Asa asked.

Aqua smiled "Our potential seventh member said yes to my offer."

Asa, Subaru, and Ginga perked up. "Really?" Subaru asked. "We're really gonna have a seven-person team like Gamma and Theta?"

Aqua nodded, and sent a telepathic call 'through' the portal. Just as the rift closed, someone hurried through – a girl around 16 or 17 with upper-back-length reddish-brown hair, wearing a pink sleeveless short dress over a white shirt, and pink boots. She called up her Keyblade, the flower-themed Destiny's Embrace, and held it in the at-rest stance Master Aqua had taught her.

"Permission to come aboard, ma'am" she said.

"Permission granted, Sigma-7" Aqua replied. "Come over here, Kairi. Let's hammer out some details and get some lunch."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Citadel – Docking Bay D24**

As Shepard strolled into the docking area, past a lounge area and a Turian-Asari couple discussing the former's deployments, he spotted a familiar figure, one who'd e-mailed him that she'd be here. She turned to face him, a small smile on her face.

"Commander Shepard" Miranda Lawson greeted. "It's been far too long. We live in interesting times."

"A little _too_ interesting" Shepard replied.

"I couldn't get near you when the Alliance had you holed up doing all that work. …About Earth…"

"Countless people lost their lives within minutes. The Reapers are everything we feared."

"They should have listened to you a long time ago. I'm sorry, Shepard."

"What about you? What brings you here?"

"I need to talk to a few people, like you. The Citadel is a good place to meet… for now. What's the Alliance's next move?"

"We have a plan. It's a long shot."

"Not surprising. ...Shepard, there's… something I wanted to mention. I haven't heard from my sister, Oriana, for a while now. I'm getting worried."

"Your sister?"

"Yes. I don't want to overreact, but… well, there's a lot going on."

"I thought we made sure she was safe."

"We did. It's probably nothing, but… I just know my father is involved."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. Everything I had in place to make sure she was safe went dark."

"What do you need from me?"

"I appreciate the offer, Shepard, but you have your hands full. If I need a door or two kicked down, I know just who to call. But for now, I'll be fine."

"It's okay. I understand."

"I have to figure this out…"

"You will. Have you had any run-ins with the Illusive Man?"

"Just once. He said it had been a pleasure to work with me, but he needed to 'contain the situation'."

"That sounds final."

"It nearly was. He doesn't take rejection well."

"No, he doesn't. Why do you think your father is involved in Oriana's disappearance?"

"I kept careful tabs on my sister. I always knew where she was. For her to just vanish… it could only be him. After I hid her away, I still knew he'd stop at nothing to find her. I have a hunch what happened, but I'll fill you in once I'm certain."

"If you're looking for a lead here, anyone associated with Cerberus will be hard to find."

"No question. But I'm owed a few favors. _Someone_ here will give me a tip on Oriana.

"It's been a while. What's happened with you?"

"I was in hiding for a little while, on the run from just about everyone. But around two months ago, I was contacted by someone I'd never expected: Kate Compton, head of the Phoenix League's Office of Naval Intelligence. The League's ONI needed an operative in Citadel space, and she was impressed enough by my service record to ask me if I wanted the position. The League's ONI is a bit… cleaner, morally, than the UNSC's, so after a little consideration I took the offer." She smirked. "The fact my salary's now around four and a half percent higher than it was with Cerberus helped a little, too. …Unfortunately, none of my other ONI or non-ONI contacts in this Realm know where Oriana's gone…"

"Nice to see you're still putting your skill-set to good use. Well, I've gotta get back to it."

"And I should get out of sight."

"Be careful, Miranda."

"No promises…" she replied as she walked away.

-_Break_-

**Huerta Memorial Hospital**

"Shepard."

The Commander was drawn away from his trek toward Ashley's ICU room by a familiar rasping voice off to the side. He turned, and smiled as he saw Thane Krios standing by a window overlooking the Presidium.

"Fancy running into you here, Thane" he shook the Drell's hand.

"When I heard Earth was under attack," Thane said, "I tried to call them, but it couldn't get through. What brings you here?"

"Visiting a friend, Ashley Williams. She was badly injured in a skirmish on Mars."

"The dark-haired human woman in intensive care? She starts soon in the physical therapy class I oversee here. If she means something to you, consider her under my protection for the duration of her stay."

"Why are you here, Thane? Is your Kepral's Syndrome back?"

"No. The Hokage did an excellent job curing me; I have had no relapses… so far. I have been semi-officially appointed as a security advisor for the hospital; so far, the security improvements I implemented have foiled two attempted assassins after a few of the inpatients here – one was Indoctrinated, the other simply angry and looking to settle a grudge. I am also training a few of the more adept security officials to take my place eventually. Unfortunately, my position prevents me from accompanying you for the time being. Perhaps in a while, I will be able to join 'Team Normandy' again, but not right now."

"Well, I suppose the safety of wounded soldiers and civilians takes priority. ...It's bad out there, Thane. The Reapers are worse than we ever imagined."

"It could have been even worse, Shepard; imagine if the Protheans of Ilos had failed in their mission to disable the Citadel Relay's remote activation."

"Yeah… So, have you heard that Cerberus has finally gone completely bad?"

"I heard a few rumors, but nothing concrete. How bad?"

Shepard called up his Omnitool and showed him a recording of Cerberus troops executing Alliance personnel, the footage of a Cerberus assassin venting a room full of people, and an image capture of the Cerberus Trooper's Husk-like face. Thane let out a long breath.

"What is the Illusive Man trying to do now?" he muttered.

"He wants to find a way to control the Reapers, 'for the advancement of humanity'."

"Then he is a fool. No mortal mind could hope to control those entities."

"…How's Kolyat doing?"

"Very well. He lives in an apartment not too far from here, and he occasionally assists C-Sec with some of their cases. We have been working on our reconciliation; we're still not 100% there yet, but far better than we were six months ago."

"I should probably go check on Ashley; I got an email from her telling me she was awake."

"Farewell for now, Shepard."

With that done, Shepard continued on his planned journey. Into the ICU ward, he entered Ashley's room to see her reclining in the hospital bed, awake and alert though with a few nasty bruises on her head and face. Furthermore, there was someone else in the room already, wrapping up a conversation with her.

"I'd like an answer, Lieutenant-Commander" Udina said. "The galaxy has need of exceptional soldiers like you, now more than ever."

"I still need time" Ashley replied. "You'll have my answer soon, I promise."

"I'll look forward to it" Udina replied. As he turned and left, he acknowledged Shepard with a small nod.

"I got your email" Shepard said to Ashley. "Made your decision yet?"

"On becoming a Spectre? Not yet. It's an honor and all, but… I don't know. I need to think about it some more."

"It's a big decision. Smart to give it some thought. How are you doing?"

"Good, considering. The nurse said you checked in on me earlier. Still out cold, I guess."

"We didn't have time to talk. I thought maybe if you were up for it…"

"Yeah. I wasn't sure you wanted to. You were pretty clear on Mars about where things stood."

"What do you mean?"

"You're not a part of Cerberus anymore. Case closed. Full stop."

"It's the truth, Ash."

"Okay. You cut all ties. I accept that. It's just that if you're giving the orders, I need to be able to count on you."

"That works both ways. It's a damn mess out there. All we've got is the people around us. We have to trust each other or this doesn't work. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Have you heard anything about Earth?"

"We have reports coming all the time on what's going on. Half are wild speculation, and half are probably too optimistic to be true."

"We have to believe that we can do something."

"When I thought you were dead, I lost hope. But when you came back? I was ready to believe anything. I mean, maybe this problem can't be solved by some grunt shooting the boogeyman in the face, but if you think it might help, I'm game."

"That sounds more like the Ash I know. Who's back on Earth?"

"Mom plus my three sisters. The youngest, Sarah, was away on her honeymoon. Married a military man – Thomas. He got called back in and she was stuck alone. She called me. It's been pretty tough."

"I imagine."

"I was always there to protect them growing up. Even when I was off on tour, they knew they could talk to me. I told her to come to the Citadel. We can wait for news together."

"I didn't hear from you while I was stuck in Vancouver."

"I couldn't face you. Even when Anderson requested my presence… it was difficult."

"It's okay. We're both professionals. We have more important things to worry about."

"You're right. I'm just restless laying here, doing nothing."

"We can't afford to be at each other's throats. If we plan on getting through this, we need to trust each other."

"I was trying to keep the family stuff to myself, to be professional. I don't know how you manage to keep it all together."

"There's a war on. People are counting on us."

"I get it. But it's still hard to put it all aside."

"So… Lieutenant-Commander, huh?"

"Seems like the old Williams curse is losing its grip. Was sure I'd top out at gunnery-chief."

"You've worked hard. You deserve it."

"I thought so, too… until Eden Prime. Losing 212 was… well, you know."

"It was the Reapers, Ash. You did the best you could and survived to help us."

"Just… Losing everyone under my command… it's tough to face. I'll never forget any of them."

"Right now, we need you back on your feet."

"I'll be back. And first order of business is to shove their metal tentacles right up their- …Uh… I mean, I'll fight with honor and courage… sir."

"Roger that, LC. I should get back to it. Take care of yourself."

"Will do, Commander."

_-Break-_

**Citadel Embassies**

"Commander Shepard" the black-&-yellow-armored Salarian greeted. "Jondum Bau, Special Tactics & Recon. I've got intel suggesting that high-level Hanar officials may be Indoctrinated."

"That's a damning accusation" Shepard replied. "What have you got?"

"Evidence of an Alliance black-ops team raiding a Batarian research station. The Batarians were studying Reaper technology. The Alliance raid turned into a massacre, and the humans ended up with nothing. Your people faked a power failure to hide the incident."

"The Batarians would've gone to war if they found out. But how does this implicate the Hanar?"

"They maintained discreet gray-market trade relationships with the Batarians – and led the Alliance to the station. We suspect those Hanar operatives escaped with Batarian tech. If your reports on the Reapers are accurate, they could already be Indoctrinated."

"What's your source on all this?"

"It was an anonymous 'gift', but I believe it came from a thief named Kasumi Goto. I've been after her for years."

"Kasumi? You're hunting a thief?"

"A _master_ thief. Her intelligence and skill are almost Salarian."

"I'm sure she'd appreciate praise from the Spectre who's chasing her down."

"I only need her data. I admire her personally. And since she sent me this, I assume her feelings are mutual."

"What do you need me to do?"

"The Hanar operative is now a diplomat on the Citadel. I don't have a public name, and the Hanar will go to ground if I make a formal inquiry."

"So we're hunting."

"I'm tracking suspicious transmissions to Kahje. I could use your help."

"I'll see what I can dig up at the Spectre office."

"Thanks, Shepard. And for the record, not everyone doubted your concerns about the Reapers. I just hope we're not too late."

As Bau walked off, Shepard headed into the nearby Spectre Office. And as he approached the terminal…

"So…" Kasumi said as she de-cloaked right behind him. "Remember when you helped me get Keiji's graybox from Donovan Hock? The one with information that could start a war?"

"I thought we destroyed that information to keep you safe" Shepard replied.

"There were enough clues left for me to piece things together when I… got curious. It was big enough to leak it to Bau. If you don't mind me tagging along cloaked, maybe I can help you dig up some dirt on the Hanar."

"I'd appreciate it."

"_Shepard,_" Bau radioed, "_I'm checking security reports. Can you track the transfers coming from the Hanar embassy?_"

"On it" Shepard replied as he moved up to the terminal, enabling tracking.

"Bau's got a good plan" Kasumi remarked. "Hanar are predictable. Anything suspicious in their terminal use should narrow down our list of suspects."

"So you approve of Bau?"

"Absolutely. He's a good Spectre. The galaxy needs more like him."

"And the fact that he's trying to arrest you…?"

"Well, nobody's perfect."

They headed out of the office, Kasumi cloaking and matching her footsteps with Shepard's, as the Commander's omnitool led him to a terminal on the wall between two embassy offices. He scanned it, pulling up the data.

"Bau, I have some possible hits" he said. "Got some strange money transfers on Bolohn, and Oloon is sending a lot of data."

"_Bolohn's clean_" the Salarian Spectre replied. "_His money transfers are to support his mistress. Not sure about Oloon; I'll pull his bio._"

"I'll check Oloon's personal records and pull his recent messages."

"Can I just note how odd it is for a Hanar to have a mistress?" Kasumi murmured.

"You know, if Bau catches up with you, I can grant you immunity."

"What, if I join up? Last time I did that, you roped me into a suicide mission."

"I didn't say you had to join up."

"You were working your way around to it. Anyway, it looks like the next terminal's down in the docks."

Shepard & Kasumi boarded the nearby elevator, taking it down to Docking Bay E24. Upon exiting into the dock, the next terminal marked on Shepard's tac-map was right by the entrance. He tapped in, calling up the data inside.

"Bau, Oloon's doing some heavy lobbying for the Hanar to support the war effort."

"_So he's clearly not Indoctrinated. Who's opposing him?_"

"An unnamed Hanar recently posted here from Kahje. I'll check transit records for incoming Hanar."

"It all comes down to the war…," Kasumi said, "and you trying to pull everyone into it."

"Would you rather the Reapers win?"

"No. And I owe you for getting Keiji's graybox back from Hock. But I can't do another Collector Base, Shep. The Reapers aren't people; I can't infiltrate a Reaper party and steal a big "I win" bomb."

They made their way into the docks proper, and Shepard almost walked right into a familiar man in blue armor.

"Kaidan?"

"Shepard!" Alenko smiled. "I heard you'd made it off Earth."

"What are you doing here?"

"Mostly I've been helping coordinate refugee and supply movements down here, but I'm also issuing commands to and coordinating a task force of Biotic specialists; they're spread out among a few hot-spots in Citadel space. They're handling themselves well; not a single KIA yet… though, with how this war's going… So, what are _you_ up to, Commander?"

"Partially I'm waiting for a diplomatic summit to get set up; my ship's going to be the neutral meeting ground. In the meantime, I came to visit Ashley at Huerta Memorial, and I'm also helping Kasumi and Jondum Bau hunt for an Indoctrinated Hanar diplomat."

Kaidan's eyebrows rose. "Indoctrinated diplomat? Here on the Citadel? …Well, if you _and_ Bau are on the case, they won't be at large for long. And Kasumi's here, too?"

"Right here" the girl spoke softly, startling Kaidan slightly; the Biotic quickly spotted the tell-tale faint shimmer standing next to Shepard.

"Should've expected that… I visited Ash yesterday; Cerberus droid did a number on her…"

"I went and saw her less than an hour ago" Shepard replied. "Udina asked her to become the third human Spectre; she's still considering it – she's not sure if she considers herself worthy of it."

"Well, I do. She's a damn good soldier, and she's learned from the best. I'd love to chat more, but you should probably hunt that diplomat down before he gets the chance to cause some major damage."

"Right. See you around, Kaidan."

"You too, Shepard, Kasumi."

As Shepard & Kasumi moved on, they only made it a little farther before Shepard spotted someone who looked familiar over in one of the refugee areas. Upon getting closer, he smiled as his suspicion was confirmed.

"Yeoman Kelly Chambers…" he said.

The redhead woman turned to see him, and her eyes lit up with a smile. "Shepard! It's really you! Oh, I could just hug you!"

He smiled and moved in, granting her request. Kelly relaxed into the hug… and then stiffened as she felt a third person join in. She looked to the side, seeing a shimmer right in front of her face.

"Hi~" Kasumi said.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Chambers relaxed. "Kasumi…" she said with a weary smile. "Still spooking people, huh?"

"Sorry" Kasumi giggled as she de-cloaked, her & Shepard letting go. Kelly turned her attention back to Shepard.

"I've been so worried" she said. "Without my Cerberus contacts, I had no way of knowing if you'd survived the invasion."

"You left Cerberus?"

She nodded. "Working with you opened my eyes, got me thinking. I looked closely at what Cerberus had done. In good conscience, I couldn't stay with them. You inspired me to leave."

"I'm glad to hear that. …Why don't you come back to the _Normandy_?"

Kelly sighed. "Please believe me: I'd like nothing more than to be a part of your team again, but… I can't. Ever since the Collectors abducted us… I relive it every night." She looked haunted. "I see Joker running out, then that cold hand pulls me back. They're above me, around me… They stuff me into that coffin, and… I'm _relieved_, that they aren't _touching_ me anymore… But then it's so small; I can't breathe. It seems like forever. I watched people _melt_. God…"

"Hey" he placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay."

"I'm fine, I just… can't step back onto the _Normandy_. I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"And even if I could, I shouldn't. I'm making a difference here. If there was ever a reason I studied psychology, it was to help people at a time like this."

"I'm surprised Cerberus let you go."

"They didn't, but they have more important things to worry about than me."

"Don't take chances with Cerberus. Change your look, change your name, get new identification."

"That takes time, and the people here need my help."

"Do it for me, Kelly."

"…Okay, I will. If you think I should. …I'm so glad you found me. Seeing you makes everything right again."

"See you around, Kelly" Kasumi said. "Be careful."

"I will, Kasumi. Thanks."

Kasumi re-cloaked as she and Shepard moved on. Nearing the next terminal marked on Shepard's tac-map, however, they heard another familiar voice, issuing orders amongst a group of Turians. The two moved in, and Garrus saw Shepard coming.

"What's happening?" Shepard asked.

"We convinced the Council to accept our wounded" Garrus replied. "Nowhere else to go."

"How bad is it?"

"More dead than injured – 85% killed in action. We'll need a morgue soon. Not a lot of flesh wounds when you're fighting Reapers."

"Casualties are that high?"

"Our front-line units are being wiped out whole platoons at a time. A single Reaper can destroy nine or ten of them with one attack."

"That's not war, it's slaughter."

"They're called Reapers for a reason, and these guys found out why."

"Do what you can for them."

"A few of them might get back on their feet, but the rest… Sympathy is about all we can offer."

"Any sign of your family?"

"Not yet, but I keep hoping. What about you? I'm starting to see some wear and tear."

"I won't lie; it's been rough."

"Well, don't forget to come up for air. There's a lot more war to go. See you later, Shepard. …You too, Kasumi."

"How did you know I was here?" Kasumi asked, exasperated.

"This eyepiece of mine can see infrared, and even my natural eyes can recognize that telltale shimmer of your cloak. Don't worry, though; most people wouldn't."

Finally, the duo moved to the third terminal, tapping in.

"I've got a list of Hanar arrivals, Bau. Forwarding it to you."

"_Damn. These are all face-names. The Hanar names from the Alliance raid are soul-names. And Hanar soul-names are private. There's no public record. Can you get back to their personal communications?_"

"On it. Maybe we'll find names there."

"So how's the rest of the gang?" Kasumi asked as the two made their way back through the dock. "Meet up with anybody else besides Garrus?"

"Joker & EDI, Dr. Chakwas, and Kal'Reegar so far."

"What about Jacob?"

"Haven't heard from him."

"See, Jacob could've got me back on the _Normandy_…"

"I'm touched…"

Back at the entrance terminal, Shepard tapped in again, this time calling up a different set of data.

"Bau, here's the correspondence. If there's any mention of soul-names…"

"…_I've got it. A recent arrival – Zymandis, soul-name 'Regards the Works of the Enkindlers in Despair'. He was with the alliance team that massacred the Batarians. He's been on 'special research assignment' ever since._"

"So he got his tentacles on some Reaper tech."

"_Looks that way. I'm sending you the Nav-Point for his office. I'll meet you there._"

-_Break_-

**Citadel Embassies – Hanar Embassy**

Shepard, Bau, and the cloaked Kasumi entered the office, the door locking behind them. A human guard leaned against the wall near the door, relaxing but keeping his eyes on the Spectres, while a lone Hanar hovered near a computer terminal.

"Zymandis?" Shepard said.

"Or should I say, 'Regards the Works of the Enkindlers in Despair'?" Bau added.

"It seems this one has been apprehended," the Hanar replied, his translator module translating his bioluminescence into slightly echoing speech, "but confinement is irrelevant. The work of the Enkindlers cannot be stopped."

"Why are you trying to help the Reapers?" Shepard asked.

"We obtained information regarding the Enkindlers from classified sources."

"By Enkindlers you mean the Protheans?"

"Yes. As you are aware, Commander Shepard, the Protheans eventually became the Collectors. And the Collectors serve the Reapers."

"You've got to be kidding me…" Shepard muttered, seeing where the mind-fragged Hanar's crazy-train of thought was going.

"Therefore, as faithful servants of the Enkindlers, we too must serve the Reapers."

"You _big, stupid jellyfish_…"

"I support religious freedom for all species," Kasumi whispered, "but this is just plain crazy."

"Your skepticism does not matter" Zymandis continued. "When the Enkindlers uplift us as their chosen sapients, the galaxy will bear witness."

"You're insane, and we can't allow you to endanger your planet. We're taking you into custody."

"Your belief in your victory is mistaken. Our planetary defense network is largely automated. It can be disabled with a single virus… which _I_ have just uploaded."

"Damn it!" Bau cursed. "Wait… A virus would be detected unless sent on low-priority channels, which have a time-lag." He called up his omnitool. "I may be able to block the upload."

Suddenly, the human guard lunged into action, pinning Bau to the wall by the throat and trying to strangle him.

"You may be… delayed."

"Help him!" Kasumi shouted to Shepard as she de-cloaked, vaulting over a table and over to the office's main terminal. "I'll handle this!"

As Kasumi got to work, Shepard yanked the Indoctrinated guard away and floored him with a single punch. Bau rubbed at his throat for a second, and then drew his Carnifex pistol. One shot tore through Zymandis' body, and the Hanar's corpse flopped to the ground with a wet 'splat'.

"Got it" Kasumi reported. "Upload's disabled. Looks like we're in the…" A red signal appeared on the display. "He's got some kind of failsafe. Get down!"

The computer terminal exploded violently, almost knocking Shepard and Bau off their feet. Kasumi was sent flying into the far wall, slumping down motionless, her cloak apparently shorting out and activating, hiding her body. Bau stared in shock.

"She was here the whole time…" he murmured.

"She was a friend of mine…" Shepard said solemnly. "She helped me take down the Collectors… and she just gave her life to save planet Kahje."

"…Point taken. It was an honor to work with you, Commander Shepard. When the time comes, I'll be there to return the favor, with a few friends."

As Bau left, Shepard looked around the room, scorched by the explosion that had apparently claimed the life of one of his team… and then he smirked.

"You can come out now" he said.

"How'd you know?" Kasumi asked as she de-cloaked.

"Lucky guess."

"There's no way you're recruiting me to fight on the front lines of a galactic war."

"The Crucible Project needs technical experts."

"I'm not a scientist!"

"No, but you're the best thief in the galaxy, and you can hack unfamiliar technology better than anyone. They could use your help. And think about it: all that expensive tech just lying around… It's not like they're going to check your pockets at the end of the project."

She smiled. "You say the nicest things. All right, I'm in. And Shep… Nice working with you again."

-_Break_-

**Purgatory Club**

As Shepard entered the club, the air vibrated with pulsing bass. People of all sorts and species mingled, drank, and danced. And off to one side, a large L-shaped couch had been claimed by a certain Asari, flanked by two of her guards, and looking annoyed as an immigrations officer interrogated her.

"So you admit that you and your thugs are here illegally" the officer said.

"In a sense, yes" Aria T'Loak replied. "And it only took C-Sec three weeks to figure it out."

"I don't care who you are; you have to go through processing just like everyone else. Come with me."

"I don't think so." The 'queen' turned to the guard on her left. "Sheerk, get me Tevos."

The Batarian nodded, calling up his Omnitool, and the Asari Councilor's hologram appeared via comm.

"_Yes, who- …Aria. To what do I owe the pleasure?_"

"I'm being asked to submit to immigration processing…"

Tevos sighed. "_Of course you are._" She tapped a few keys on her terminal. "_Done. Anything else._"

"No; thank you, Tevos. I'll let you know if anything comes up."

"_Any time. Farewell._"

The connection ended, and Aria turned to the surprised officer.

"She and I have a past from before she became Councilor. Now then, if that was all, you'll be going now."

The officer stalked off, and Aria smirked a bit as she caught sight of her guest. "Enjoyed the show, Shepard?" she asked.

"Looks like there's still only one rule on the Citadel" Shepard replied as, at Aria's gesture, he had a seat.

"Seems that way…" Her smile faded into a frown. "I hate this place; so sickeningly uptight…"

"Then why are you here?"

Aria got up, pacing slowly. "Cerberus stole Omega from me. The Illusive Man is now squarely at the top of my shit list. He will pay for _every second_ I've spent in this bureaucratic hellhole."

"How'd they defeat you?"

"Deceit, distraction, and a big fuckin' army. They lured me away from Omega and ambushed me. I escaped, but Cerberus had already laid siege. By the time I could launch an assault, they were too entrenched."

"At least you lived to fight another day."

"And that day is coming. …I'll take Omega back, but I'll get to that later. You're here because I have a proposition." She sat down.

"I'm listening."

"They way I see it, if you don't defeat the Reapers then we're all dead; won't matter where I'm sitting. It's in my interest to help you."

"What are you offering, Aria?"

"On Omega, I kept the Blood Back, Blue Suns, and Eclipse in check. Now, they're running amok. Nobody wants that. Unite them under my rule, and you'll have a powerful and ruthless force for your war. I've laid the groundwork with all three groups. I just need you to close the deals."

"Normally I'd not want anything to do with those groups, but in these days, if they'll fight Reapers I'll take them."

"Now that's a bottom line I can respect. Meet with Narl, my agent who's dealing with the Blood Pack, up on the Presidium. The Blue Suns' current leader is incognito down in Bay E24; he'll be expecting you. And I already have a deal with Jona Sederis, the Eclipse leader. You just have to get your friend Bailey to let her out of jail."

"You obviously don't know Bailey very well."

"He respects you. Lean on him. I think a united force of professional mercenaries is worth it, don't you? It's always a pleasure, Shepard. Let me know if you wanna talk later."

-_Break_-

**Embassies – C-Sec Office**

"Shepard," Comm. Bailey said, "to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Here to talk about the possibility of releasing Jona Sederis" Shepard replied.

Bailey sighed and frowned. "Damn, you too? Somebody got the Council to order her release. I'm delaying as best I can. What's your stake in this?"

"It's a long story involving a chain of deals; I don't think it'd be wise for me to tell you everything right now."

"Look, there's no way I'm letting that psychopath out. The woman's unstable and a clear public threat."

"How is she 'unstable'?"

"She was a ruthless sadist before she got caught. Her imprisonment has cracked the shell off the nut."

"Maybe freedom will improve her."

"She rages day and night, Shepard, calling for the brutal deaths of all of Eclipse's enemies. No, freedom will only give her the chance to kill."

"Hmm… I'd like to speak with her so I can judge for myself."

"Sure thing. I'm sure you'll agree. Then maybe the Council will listen to you and rescind the order. Go to the C-Sec outpost in the Presidium. My assistant will connect to Sederis' cell from there. Then call me back."

-_Break_-

**Presidium Commons**

Shepard hadn't really been up here since this whole debacle began, but it hadn't really changed much. Civilians and C-Sec officers of all ages and species mulled about, doing their own thing. Remembering that he had two tasks to attend to here, however, Shepard started down the steps into the market area, meaning to cut through to reach the C-Sec outpost. However, it was less than half a minute before he spotted a familiar face tending the bar of a little open-air restaurant/café. He walked over, and the Asari Matriarch spotted him.

"Hey, I remember you" she said. "Shepard, right? Heard you're fighting the Reapers now."

"Matriarch Aethyta" Shepard replied. "You were working on Illium. How'd you end up here?"

"Eh, with the Reapers making noise, I figured it was time to get somewhere safer, so I moved here."

"I don't think so. I've seen some video footage… of you looking at Liara." He looked over at Liara, sitting at a table by the railing bordering the artificial lake.

Aethyta sighed, looking a bit solemn. "Yeah… Matriarch Benezia was… was her mother, and… she doesn't know it, but I'm her father."

"You mean you were her other mother, right?"

'No. I didn't pop her out. Hell, she's never even met me."

"Sorry. If you were human, you'd both be called the mother, regardless of which one gave birth."

"Well, I'm not human, am I? Anthropocentric bag of dicks…"

"She'd love to meet you."

"Why? She doesn't even know me from a hole in the ground. Benezia ran off before the kid was born. Besides, this isn't charity work. She's one of the biggest intel brokers in the galaxy, and she's got some shady connections… like a human Commander who used to work with Cerberus. Sound familiar?"

"I only worked with them to fight the Collectors and the Reapers."

"And you're not with 'em now. I know. If you were… you wouldn't get within a _light-year_ of Liara…"

"Is that a threat?"

"I'm no commando, but I've had a thousand years to learn how to fight dirty. _Nobody_ messes with my little girl. Anyway, you combine that with her work with Benezia, and… well, the Matriarchs might've ordered a hit on her if I hadn't agreed to keep an eye on her."

"That's not going to happen" Shepard scowled.

"No argument here. I only took the crap jobs to keep the Matriarchs happy that she's 'under control'."

"Just as long as we're clear."

"Clear as crystal."

"You should come clean with her. It'd be better for everyone."

"Yeah. We'll see how that goes…"

Shepard left as another Asari came up to engage Aethyta in conversation. He slipped away, making his way over to Liara's table.

"Hello, Shepard."

"Taking a break from work at the moment?"

"For a little while, yes."

"So… That bartender over there…"

"The Matriarch hired by the Asari government to track my movements?"

"She's your father."

"I know."

Shepard's eyebrows rose. "…I never get to surprise you with anything."

"I'm a very good information broker."

"And you haven't talked to her about spying on you?"

"If I did that, they might send someone who wasn't as sympathetic to me. Besides, this is hardly the time for family reunions."

"Liara…"

"…Oh, fine."

As Liara got up and made her way over to the bar, Shepard moved on. Cutting through the markets, he made a couple minor purchases (pistol mods, a couple model ships for his collection…). Soon, he found Joker sitting on a bench.

"Hey, Commander, check it out!" he said as Shep sat beside him. "Big news: the Blasto movie is breaking opening-week records! There's also a big exposé on quasar tournaments, tips on how to make your apartment look bigger, and… oh yeah, a big-ass Reaper invasion!" He scoffed. "These people have no idea…"

"When big events shake up the galaxy, people cling to what's familiar."

"You say that like it's a good thing."

"It's better than riots in the streets."

"I guess. I just wish there were a middle ground. You know, a little less gardening advice, a little more war prep."

"It'll happen… once there's something people can do to help."

"Meanwhile," Joker looked at EDI's mobile platform perusing the market stands, "they ignore the unshackled AI walking around the Presidium."

"She run into any trouble?"

"No, no, she's my 'mobility assistance mech'. Thanks to Vrolik's Syndrome, I'm legally entitled to bring her everywhere. Finally getting some use out of those disability benefits."

"I'm sure she appreciates getting out to see the sights."

"Ah, she's earned a little shore leave."

Joker's attention focused on EDI, a smile on his face, as Shepard got up and left. After a little more window-shopping, Shepard came up to the AI.

"Hello, Shepard" EDI greeted.

"You look like you're gathering data."

"That is a safe assumption."

"Anything big and world-shaking? Man's inhumanity to man? Does objective reality exist? That kind of thing?"

"I was running scenarios in my head to analyze Jeff's behavior. I believe he has a strong affectionate attachment to me, but he has not stated it to anyone yet. Shepard, you have firsthand sexual experience. How do you know when someone is romantically invested?"

Shepard looked distinctly uncomfortable all of a sudden. "They'll… usually show signs they can't stop thinking about you. You know: asking you out, giving you presents, maybe playing music…"

"I lack material wants other than hardware and software upgrades, and my core programming does not assign values to music. Perhaps we could discuss how to provoke Jeff into an emotional commitment."

"That's not how to think of it. It's got to be natural. You need chemistry."

"I see. There are a number of pharmaceuticals I could inject to simulate the desired emotional state."

"No, that was a figure of speech, EDI. I mean relax and do something you both like. Something simple. For example, you both like humor."

"Correct. I will see if there are comedic entertainment shows being presented on the Citadel. Scanning... Do you think he would like '_The Man Who Hung Himself_'? It appears to be about an amorous plastic surgeon."

"EDI, the important thing is to have a good time, wherever you go. And if you're having fun, he probably will, too."

"Then the outcome is an unknown quantity, but you are saying I should attempt it anyway."

"Nobody ever fell in love without being a little bit brave."

"I see" She smiled a little. "I believe you have improved my chances, Shepard. Thank you."

Shepard moved on, finally reaching the C-Sec outpost; a lone Turian officer was present.

"I've connected with Jona Sederis in her cell, Commander" the officer reported. "You can speak to her via that console." He gestured to the screen on the wall behind him.

"Thanks. We'll need some privacy."

"Of course" the officer got up. "When you're done, you can also contact Commander Bailey from that terminal."

Once the officer had left, Shepard walked up to and activated the terminal. The face of an Asari appeared on-screen, and Shepard could immediately see something was… off about her just by looking into her eyes.

"_Who's that spying on me, now? Ah, I see – good. Aria's indentured servant has finally come to deliver me to freedom._"

"I want to talk to you before I secure your release."

"_Bullshit. You have no choice. And when I get out, heads will roll…_" She giggled. "_Oh, yes… You've killed a lot of my people; don't think I've forgotten that._"

"You have to move on."

"_And I will… once all my enemies are dead. I __love__ holding all the cards! Even here, you must deal with me; I have all the power!_"

"Is that right?"

"_Yes. Sayn, my second-in-command, is a weak-willed toady. If he had balls, he'd leave me to rot and take control himself. But he won't defy me; he knows better. Now, get me out of here, Shepard! Tell Bailey to release me!_"

Shepard cut the connection, and then contacted the C-Sec Commander.

"Bailey, I've just spoken with Sederis."

"_She's crazy, right? It would be ridiculous to let her out._"

"She's a menace. Let me try to make this problem go away."

"_Sounds good. I'll hold the line until I hear from you._"

As he made his way back through the Presidium, Shepard's tac-map pointed him in the direction of the apartments he was passing; apparently, this was where Aria's man with the Blood Pack was waiting. Deciding to get it over with, he followed the nav-point to one of the apartments. Upon entering, he found a lone Batarian waiting for him.

"Quick," he said, "hands behind your back. They'll be here any minute."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Shepard asked.

"Kreet, the Blood Pack's leader. Aria 'brings' him the great Commander Shepard, Kreet pledges the gang to her. We're just luring him into the open so we can take him out."

"Not the best start to our friendship, Narl."

"He's coming! Quick, put your hands behind your back and, uh… try to look like I beat you up or something."

"This better be on the up-and-up…" Shepard muttered as he assumed position in front of Narl, holding his hands behind his back and slouching over. The door opened, and three Vorcha wearing Blood-Pack colors walked in.

"Aria T'Loak even more powerful than thought" the lead Vorcha hissed. "Her instructions on boarding Citadel undetected were one thing, now _this_! Commander Shepard! Want you to know, your head will be hood ornament on my personal shuttle!"

"Keep your distance, Kreet" Narl said, clandestinely placing a pistol in Shepard's hands as he walked to beside him. "So, do you agree to Aria's terms?"

"Most definitely. Aria can use Blood Pack as she sees fit."

"Wasn't talking to you, Kreet." Narl looked to one of the Vorcha guards. "Gryll?"

"What?-!" Kreet was dumbfounded.

"You have my word!" the other Vorcha replied. "Now open fire!"

Shepard and Narl immediately drew their guns, each putting a round each through the skulls of Kreet and his other guard. Shepard pointed his piece at the last Vorcha, who raised his hands in a defensive gesture.

"Not him!" Narl pushed Shepard's weapon arm down. "Gryll's next in line to take over. Aria's deal is with him."

"Yes!" Gryll said quickly. "Yes. I'm Aria's mole, Shepard. You've scratched my back, now I'll scratch yours."

"Word of advice" Shepard said. "Don't double-cross Aria."

"I may be ambitious, but I'm not crazy."

"Uh-huh… Good work, Narl."

"Any time, Shepard. Gryll and I will let Aria know the light is green."

**Docks**

"Men," the Salarian said, "get ready for trouble."

The Turian and other Salarian nearby got up, tensing.

"Not here for that, Sayn" Shepard told the lead Salarian. "Just want to talk about Sederis' release."

"Oh, you're the one coordinating that, right? My idea, you know? Aria came to me looking to gain Eclipse support. I'm leveraging it to bust the boss out."

"Sayn, _you_ should run Eclipse."

"Huh?"

"You can do it. Leave Sederis locked up and make the deal with Aria yourself."

"Hmm… Aria _would_ be a step up… And you think she'd let me run things?"

"I don't see why not."

"Right, right. Then that's the plan. Keep Sederis in jail; I'll call Aria right away."

"Good man."

As Sayn made the call, Shepard moved a little ways further into the docking area, finding a man in plain civilian clothes but with the hint of a Blue Suns tattoo peeking out from within his shirtsleeve.

"Wow, Aria wasn't kidding" the man – Darner Vosque – said. "Aria wasn't kidding – the great Commander Shepard on a leash."

"I'm here for my own reasons, Vosque" Shepard replied.

"Sure you are. Anyway, tell her I'm impressed, but to do business, I still need my little problem taken care of."

"Which is?"

"A Turian general named Oraka has it out for the Blue Suns. He's raising a stink over our activity in this sector. I'll commit my gang to Aria as soon as Oraka's dead."

"There must be more to Oraka's complaint."

"We're just making little raids along trading routes. With Aria's blessing, I might add. Oraka's just some military fossil who came out of retirement to relive the glory days and justify his existence. Losing him won't affect your war in the least, but gaining the Blue Suns… well, you know our work."

"You seriously think I'll assassinate a Turian general?"

"Aria seems to think so, or else why would she send you? She knew the price. The two of you work it out." He started walking away. "Oh, and… tell Aria I still expect her blue ass in bed with me."

As Vosque walked away, Shepard made a call of his own.

"_What is it, Shepard?_" Aria asked.

"You knew about this?"

"_Can you be more specific?_"

"Darner Vosque expects me to kill General Oraka."

"_Who cares what Vosque wants? What he needs is for Oraka to stop disrupting his operations. I figured you'd talk to Oraka, see if you can get him to lay off. And if he won't listen to reason, call me, and I'll take care of it._"

"I don't see the distinction."

"_The distinction is that I'm giving you the chance to save his life._"

"Right. Why didn't you just tell me this yourself?"

"_Vosque needed to see you, needed to realize who he's dealing with. Plus, if I have to suffer that scumbag staring at my tits one more time, I might have to kill him._"

"Right, he mentioned-"

"_That he thinks I'm going to sleep with him?_" She let out a dry chuckle. "_We all have our delusions. You should be able to find Oraka lounging around in the Presidium, last I heard._"

"Roger that" he said as the connection cut. "Back and forth and back and forth…" he muttered.

"_Shepard,_" Bailey radioed, "_the Council just withdrew the release order to Sederis. Aria T'Loak, of all people, got 'em to do it. Crazy._"

"You can say that again."

"_Thanks for your help, Shepard._"

**Presidium**

"Commander Shepard" the old Turian greeted.

"General Oraka. I think we met in Chora's Den. You were pretty miserable, as I recall."

"Yes – neck-deep in drink just before I retired. I'm clean now – reinstated."

"I hear you're taking on the Blue Suns."

"I need to do my part for the Citadel, Commander. The Blue Suns are raiding C-Sec weapons shipments. I'm putting a stop to that. Those mercs are seriously jeopardizing the Citadel's ability to defend itself if the war comes here. …_When_ the war comes here."

"There are other ways to secure weapons, General."

"You don't think I've tried? There's a black-market dealer on the Citadel right now, but he won't sell his top-line arms. The Reapers are destroying _everything_ in their path, and I can't stop them. But I _can_ stop the Blue Suns."

"Hmm… Before I try talking to that dealer, let me try something else first."

Shepard called up his Omnitool, opening a channel to the _Starshot_ still holding position near the Citadel, and Colonel Holland's face appeared on the holo-screen.

"_Commander Shepard, do you need something?_"

"I'm trying to recruit the Blue Suns to help in the war effort, but they won't budge as long as General Oraka is interfering with their operations. They're raiding C-Sec weapon shipments, and C-Sec needs guns if – or when – the war finds its way here. I was wondering if the DDF could provide some armaments; the _Starshot_'s forges might be able to contribute."

"_What sort of weapons do they need?_"

"I'll send you a list" Oraka replied, uploading a file to Holland.

"_Hmm… About half of these we already have in the ship's auto-forge's databanks; if you can send us the schematics we don't have yet, I think we can help. We won't be able to make every single gun you need, since we probably don't have the time to do that and our boys need some of those guns too, but the Dimensional Defense Force can provide you other weapons of comparable ability to fill in the rest; our guns may work differently than the mass-accelerator ones you people use, but they still kill what you shoot them with._"

"As long as we get enough top-class hardware to outfit C-Sec with what we need to fend off any potential invasions, I'm happy."

"_We'll get it done._"

"Thank you, Colonel" the Commander said. "Shepard out."

"Excellent" Oraka said. "With a steady supply of weapons, we can focus on Citadel defense. It won't bring Palaven back, but it's something."

"And the Blue Suns can go about their business?"

"As long as they focus the majority of their 'business' on the Reapers and Cerberus, then sure. Thank you, Commander."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

_**Normandy II **_**– Deck 5, Hangar**

"Everything okay with the shuttle?" Shepard asked, finding Cortez hard at work on the Kodiak.

"Just double-checking the inertia dampener coils; they can be twitchy in these UT-47s. But don't worry. This bird's been rock solid."**  
**

"I always see you working your ass off. Ever take any down-time?"

"I get my sleep, Commander. Flying tired is nearly worse than flying drunk."

"What about your waking hours? Any R&R?"

"I need to keep myself busy. Otherwise, well... too much time to think."

"I appreciate your dedication, but I don't want to see you burn out."

"I know my limits. I wouldn't take a chance with your life."

"So before this war, you must have done something to relax."

"Sure. I remember back when the _Hawking_ was based out of Arcturus and I was just a fighter jock. There was this observation deck overlooking the main flight paths. You could watch every ship taxi in and out. When I was alone, I'd turn off the auditory emulators and just watch them drift by in silence."

"You know, there are views like that on the Citadel. Next time we're there, you should take some shore leave. Clear your head."

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Take some time off on the Citadel, Steve. As a favor to me."

"If you put it that way, how can I say no?"

"_Shepard,_" EDI contacted, "_the delegates from the Salarian Union and the Krogan Clans are ready; they have arrived at the designated coordinates and are awaiting our arrival so as to begin the summit._"

"Very well. Get us there, best speed."

"_Aye-aye._"

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Sorry for another talk-heavy chapter; next time, the Battle of Sur'Kesh


	9. Can't Think of Chapter Title (Sur'Kesh)

Well… With RWBY Season (excuse me, "Volume") 2 starting and it being canon that it starts only a couple weeks after the end of Season/"Volume" 1, I've run into a problem here thanks to the ~3-month time skip between _Travels _Books 26 and 27. I could ignore Season 2's happenings altogether, or have them casually mentioned as having happened in future updates as the episodes roll on, or I could end up making a "Book 26.5" once Season 2 is finished airing… I just don't know.

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

_**Normandy II**_** – Deck Two, Conference Room**

"The Krogan is in no position to be making demands" the Salarian Dalatrass said, contempt in her voice.

"'The Krogan' has a name" the old red-armored warlord growled. "Urdnot Wrex. And I'm not just some junkyard varren you unleash whenever you're in trouble."

Shepard walked in, wearing his Alliance dress-blues, and took his spot at the head of the table; Wrex gave him a respectful nod.

"Commander," EDI interrupted, "a high-ranking member of the Dimensional Defense Force's politico-military command wishes to join the meeting. I have filled him in on the details. He will not be joining in person; a quantum-entanglement holographic communication is ready."

"Patch him through."

In a shimmer of blue, a hologram appeared of a massive saurian alien, just under eight feet tall and clad in ornate silver armor.

"Arbiter Thel Vadam?" Shepard said. "This is a bit of a surprise."

"_I was the only DDF head of state available who isn't too busy dealing with other issues_" the Sangheili leader replied. "_I will be informing the others of the contents and results of this summit afterward. …It is good to see you still live, Commander._"

"Likewise."

"I've heard about you guys" Wrex said. "The Sangheili… The clan-like structure, focus on honor, and love of battle of the Krogans, combined with the self-control, tactical doctrine, and regimented discipline of the Turians…" he looked up to meet the hologram's eyes. "As well as the physical size and strength of the Yahg."

"A bit taller than the Yahg, actually, from the looks of it" Dalatrass Linron replied. "Not quite as bulky, though."

"Anyway, I've got my own problems" the old Krogan continued where he'd left off. "Reaper scouts have arrived on Tuchanka. So why should I care if a couple thousand Turians die? The galaxy has more than enough of _them_ still in it to keep _their_ population going..."

The others present easily detected his unspoken statement: with the genophage affecting their birth-rates, the Krogan species couldn't survive the attrition that fully committing themselves to the Reaper War would cause.

"Trying to draw out negotiations will get you nowhere, Wrex" Primarch Victus said. "I have no time for it. Just tell us what you want."

"I'll tell you what we _need_…" He looked around at everyone. "A cure for the genophage."

"Absolutely not!" Dalatrass Linron slammed her hands on the table. "The genophage is non-negotiable!"

"Why are you so opposed to the idea, Dalatrass?" Shepard asked.

"Because my people uplifted the Krogans. We know them best."

"You mean you _used_ us!" Wrex responded. "To fight a war you couldn't win! It wasn't the Salarians or the Asari or even the Turians who stopped the Indoctrinated Rachni! It was Krogan blood that turned the tide!"

"And after that you ceased to be useful! The genophage was the only way to keep your 'urges' in check."

If looks could kill, Wrex's ensuing glare would have reduced Dalatrass Linron to ashes right there on the spot.

"_I had heard rumors that the Salarian Union and its representatives could be astonishingly callous and tactless when it came to dealing with some other races_" Vadam crossed his arms. "_I am not happy to see those rumors held some truth._"

"Dalatrass," Victus spoke up, "you may not like him, but Wrex is right. Insulting him won't change that."

"I won't apologize for speaking the truth! We uplifted the Krogans to do one thing: wage war. It's all they know, because it's all we _wanted_ them to know."

"Your people should have thought the matter through, then" Shepard replied. "Was it really a surprise the Krogans revolted?"

"That's precisely my point, Commander. We made a rash decision; we turned to the Krogans in desperation. It's the same mistake you're about to make today. No good can come from curing the genophage."

"The Krogans have paid for their mistakes. The genophage has gone on long enough."

"1,476 years, if you're keeping track" Wrex chimed in. "78 longer than I've been alive."

"It was 1,000 years of peace free from these _brutes_!" the Dalatrass snapped.

"Enough!" Victus shouted. "Whether or not they deserve a cure is academic. It would take years to formulate one."

"My information says otherwise" Wrex replied. He walked up to Victus' spot, the Turian moving aside to let him have the console. "A Salarian scientist named Maelon Heplorn grew a conscience. He was on my planet, testing a cure on our females."

"I remember" Shepard said with distaste. "His methods were cruel and barbaric."

"Yeah, they definitely were. …But what you _didn't_ know, my old friend, is that some of the females _survived_ his experiments."

He inserted a data-packed from his omnitool into the terminal, and on the far wall's screen a recording was displayed of the inside of a Salarian base, as someone carried or wore the camera while moving through it, focusing on around four Krogan females, clad in veils and robes, in containment cells.

"So, the Dalatrass here sent in a team to clean up the whole mess, and to take them prisoner."

"Where did you get this?" Linron asked, looking a bit rattled. "It… It could be a fabrication!"

"Don't lie to me! Those are my people! They're immune to the genophage, you kidnapped them, and now you're going to give them back!"

"_Is this all true, Dalatrass?_"

"How will curing the genophage benefit _my_ people?-! How could _anything_ good come from helping these _beasts_?-!"

"_Are you blind?-!_" the Arbiter snapped. "_Listen to me, Salarian. If we do not free the Krogans from that which has shackled them all these years, they will not only be unable to survive this war, they will not help the Turians either. Without their support, the Turians will fall. And without the Turians, the Humans will perish as well._" His hologram stalked close, towering over the woman and glaring calmly down at her. "_Would you doom __**three**__ species to extinction for the sake of your ridiculous racist grudge?-! And when the next threat to the galaxy comes and your people are in its sights,_" he leaned in close, "_how long do you think you will last without the Humans and Turians around to protect you?_"

"And that's assuming you even live through _this_ war" Shepard chimed in. "How long do you think you'll last alone against the Reapers, Dalatrass? Because if you don't help us, that's how it'll end up."

"And I'll be the last friendly Turian you ever see" Victus added, the sub-harmonics of his voice subtly displaying just how angry and serious he was.

Linron looked furious, but then she acquiesced. "…The females are being kept at one of our STG bases on Sur'Kesh. But I warn you, Commander! The consequences of this-"

"Will be _nothing_ compared to those if the Reapers win!" Shepard snapped, interrupting her. "Come on, Wrex. Let's go get your people."

"You're not setting foot on Sur'Kesh! This will take time to-"

"It happens _now_" Victus said. "As a Council Spectre, Shepard can oversee the exchange."

As the group began to make their way up, Dalatrass Linron tried to get one last jab in.

"I won't forget this, Commander! A bully has few friends when he needs them most!"

The Arbiter's hologram turned back to face her. "_Oh, so you're foolishly stubborn, short-sighted, a racist, __**and**__ a hypocrite. Lovely_" he sneered. Then his hologram dispersed, the connection being terminated.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Annos Basin cluster – Pranas System – Sur'Kesh**

**CODEX:** "_Alternating between large oceans and landmasses covered in flora, the Salarian homeworld, _**_Sur'Kesh_**_, is known for its humid climate and lush vegetation. As with the rainforests that once covered Earth, the planet's many forests enjoy a rich biodiversity. The Salarian desire for intellectual stimulation drove them long ago to explore every aspect of their environment, developing ways to thrive without consequences detrimental to their habitat. The areas near major cities and industrial centers are meticulously maintained, with an eye towards ensuring that sunlight penetrates to the ground level and that established paths through the jungle are kept clear for travel. Burngrass, a soil-enriching and adaptable weed native to Sur'Kesh, has become a major export because of its value for terraforming._"

**SCAN: **"_The Salarian homeworld has been likened to the jungles of Earth: pretty to look at, teeming with life, uncomfortable to live in, and dangerous to the unwary. The technophilic Salarians had significant pollution and waste problems early in the development of their society. They also embraced social solutions just as quickly, and through complex breeding rules, _**_Sur'Kesh_**_ now maintains a crowded but sustainable population. The planet tends to be wetter than Earth, and Salarian cities spare no expense to collect and provide fresh water, as one might expect from an amphibious species.  
Due to Sur'Kesh's location in the galaxy, far from dark-space, it has yet to be invaded by the Reapers. But its rulers are all too aware that they are in the path of attack. Because they could not strike the first blow, as their military doctrine suggests, many already consider their forces at a severe disadvantage._"

The UT-47A Kodiak shuttle descended over the rainforest-jungles of the Salarian homeworld; onboard were Shepard, Wrex, Liara, Garrus, Javik, and Teana in her red Mark-VII Mjolnir armor.

"This is the Salarian homeworld we're headed to" Shepard said to Wrex. "They aren't used to seeing Krogans here, so let's keep it simple. We land, get the females, and leave before anyone changes their mind."

"I still don't trust a word they say" Wrex replied.

"Let diplomacy play out, Wrex. You'll get what you want."

"These females are the best – and probably last – hope for my people."

"We'll bring them back, Wrex" Liara replied. "Don't worry."

"I appreciate that, Liara. I wouldn't want anyone else along for the ride."

Garrus loudly cleared his throat, and Wrex turned to him with a grin.

"I suppose I could make room for you too, Garrus" Wrex chuckled.

"Figured you'd gone soft sitting on your throne," Garrus remarked, "forgot how to hold a gun."

"Heh." The old Krogan looked at Javik, who was carefully inspecting his particle rifle. "Who's this?"

"Javik" Shepard replied. "A Prothean; found him on Eden Prime."

Wrex shook his head. "After all the crazy shit we've been through the past three years, nothing connected to you surprises me anymore, Shepard. …Well, maybe a little."

"I imagine it also helps that you've lived long enough to see all the weirdness the galaxy has to offer" Teana chimed in. "…How old are you, exactly?"

"1,398 Terran years" Wrex replied proudly. "And the docs say I've still got a few more centuries left in me!"

"Remind me to get you something nice for your 1400th birthday in a couple years, Wrex" Shepard said with a little grin.

"Commander," Cortez called back, "I have the Salarian base on sensors."

"Set her down" Shepard ordered.

The Kodiak approached a two-building, multi-leveled base set amongst greenery-covered cliffs and between two waterfalls; the structures looked somewhat like a high-tech version of some of the ancient stepped temples on Earth. The craft hovered a few meters over a landing pad, as two Salarians below scrambled back into the base.

"Commander, Salarian ground control says we don't have clearance to land" Cortez said.

"Tell them the Dalatrass authorized this herself" Shepard replied.

Wrex growled. "I knew they'd never keep their word! Let's see them try to stop a Krogan airdrop…"

He opened the portside hatch of the shuttle and leapt out, his bulk shaking the ground.

"We have an unauthorized landing!" one of the Salarians said over the intercom.

"And who authorized _you_ to hold my people hostage?-!" Wrex responded.

The old Krogan's body glowed blue with Biotic energy being readied, as he drew his shotgun. Suddenly, a pair of laser sights painted his skull, and he looked to see two Salarian snipers drawing a bead on him from another structure across the valley. The others of Team Shepard leapt out as well; Javik pointed his particle rifle at the armed Salarians on the landing pad, while Teana and Garrus aimed his Mantis and her Device's Sniper Mode at the snipers across the valley, and Liara made ready to cast a Barrier to protect her team at a moment's notice.

"Everyone stand down!" a Salarian in black armor shouted as he came running up. "Hold your fire! Commander Shepard, restrain your colleague! We only found out about this transfer a few moments ago!"

"I'd like to avoid a diplomatic incident" Shepard said.

"As would we" the Salarian commander replied.

"But you have something valuable to Wrex."

"Something worth dying for" the Krogan added.

"This matter can be resolved," the Salarian said, "but I must insist he remain under guard."

Wrex snarled.

"I can handle this, Wrex" Shepard told him.

After a few seconds, Wrex stowed his shotgun away. "Anything goes wrong, and all bets are off."

As the Kodiak set down, Team Shepard (minus Wrex, who now had three armed guards surrounding him) followed the black-armored Salarian into the base.

"I'm Padok Wils," he said, "and I appreciate your understanding, Commander. With war on everyone's minds, our people are on edge."

Up ahead, a containment cell was being moved across the area by a crane. Contained within it was a massive creature, bulky in build, with two large, curved horns over a face with eight eyes and a three-jawed mouth.

"I'd hope to never see one of those again…" Liara said with dread.

"Oh, do not tell me…" Shepard murmured. "Wils, _please_ tell me your people aren't thinking of 'uplifting' the Yahg like you did the Krogans…"

Padok Wils looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Do you have any idea what the Yahg are like?" Shepard continued. "I do; I've fought one, and it was one of the toughest scraps I've ever been in. And their culture… Uplifting them has got to be one of the worst ideas in the history of bad ideas."

"Believe me, Shepard, I agree wholeheartedly" Wils replied. "Unfortunately, it's not my decision to make."

Shepard sighed. "What other kinds of work happen here besides potentially setting up the next galactic-scale catastrophe?"

"Evolutionary trials, morphological simulations, exo-genetic assessments…"

"They used to eat flies, and now they're one of the most advanced and verbose species in the galaxy…" Javik murmured from the base. "I am feeling my age at the moment."

"Nothing's ever simple with Salarians, is it?" Shepard remarked.

"Science has always been our best defense" Wils replied. "The research we do here has kept Sur'Kesh safe for millennia."

"Does that include studying lost Krogans?"

"The females were in poor health when we found them on Tuchanka. They were brought her to stabilize their condition."

"This whole planet smells wrong…" Wrex grumbled as he 'accompanied' the guards downstairs.

"I'd like to see them" Shepard said.

"Of course. I'll need to clear you for the lower levels. Give me a few moments and meet me near the elevator."

As Wils headed off to do what he had to do, Team Shepard made their way downstairs to where Wrex and his guards were.

"Shepard, I don't like this" Wrex said. "I should be the one going in."

"How about you stay here and we only fight one war at a time?" Shepard replied.

"Ah, that was just good old-fashioned Krogan hot air. If it'd been real, they'd be _dead_."

"Idle threats are empty threats" Javik said.

"Heh. Maybe when this war is over, you can come live on Tuchanka. You'd fit right in."

"What do you know about these females?" Shepard asked.

"They weren't fertile, so we used them as decoys to draw off enemies from the ones who were. But Maelon's experiments changed that. These damn pyjaks stole them right out from under us."

"That's a pretty brutal way to treat your women" Teana said.

"It was the females' idea. We've had to make a lot of tough choices to ensure we don't all die off. It's just one more thing that'll get better when the genophage is cured."

"Who tipped you off about the females here?" Shepard asked.

"Sorry, Shepard, but they're listening to every word we say." He turned to one of the guards. "I prefer my Salarian liver served raw!"

The two guards glared.

"He is correct" Javik spoke up. "It was a… delicacy in our cycle."

"I hear Vorcha prefer it grilled" Garrus added.

And now the Salarian guards looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"Are the Krogans ready to fight the Reapers?"

"Ever since Sovereign showed up, I figured this day would come. My people have spent too much time selling ourselves out as mercenaries. Now we can get back to doing what Krogans do best: saving everyone else from giant monsters."

"Never going to let us forget about the Rachni Wars, are you?" Garrus asked.

"Last time I was at the Citadel, I didn't see a Turian statue in _your_ honor."

Garrus chuckled. "Just wait 'til this war is over."

"Back on the _Normandy_," Shepard continued, "you said Reapers were sighted on Tuchanka."

"Clans Jorgal and Ravanor sighted a few landing parties. The Reapers are up to something. Tuchanka may be a pile of radioactive rubble, but it's _our_ pile, and we'll fight to the last Krogan to keep it that way."

"That's what I always liked about you, Wrex" Liara said.

"My smoldering good looks?"

"There is that" she said with a grin. "But you've never given up, and that determination is about to pay off."

"Yeah. Who would've thought back on Virmire we'd be standing here doing this together?"

"We'd better get this whole thing over and done with. It's been good talking with you again, Wrex."

"It'll be even better when we have a few Salarians for lunch."

Shepard shook his head in amusement as he and his team moved on. As they made their way toward the elevator, however, they were stopped by a familiar face, a black-armored Salarian with a greenish skin tone and the Salarian equivalent of a Major's insignia on his chestpiece.

"Commander Shepard" he greeted. "I'd heard you were coming."

"Good to see you again, Kirrahe" Shepard replied. "Judging from the insignia, I assume you've been promoted.

"Yes, due in no small part to our mission on Virmire. 'Hold the line'… You saved my men that day."

"It's nice to see you, Major" Liara said.

"Same to you, Dr. T'Soni. And Garrus Vakarian as well, hm? It seems the Reapers have a way of bringing us together."

"I guess we're both still feeling the effects of Virmire" Shepard said.

"Yes, it's ironic. You destroyed Saren's genophage cure, yet now a cure is the key to an alliance. Your standoff with Urdnot Wrex is legend within STG."

"I'm sure you saw Wrex's entrance."

"Our colonies three systems away saw it."

"He's not exactly happy with the security arrangements" Teana said.

"Apologies, but it's better that than an irritable Krogan with a shotgun wandering the base. Think of all the casualties; our med bay would never be able to handle it."

"What do you think about bringing the female Krogans here?" Shepard asked.

"Our scientists say it's important to preserve the females – 'evolutionary paradigms'. I say, when people know you're hiding something valuable, they'll want to steal it. Either way, I have my orders. They'll be _your_ problem soon enough."

"Security seems high. Are you expecting trouble?"

"Our motto in STG is to _always_ expect trouble – and, failing that, to create trouble for someone else. Our enemies have the same idea."

"A good principle to live by" Javik remarked.

"Who's this?" Kirrahe said.

"He's a… friend" Shepard replied.

"Hmm…" the Major examined Javik. "Genetically-modified Drell or Turian? Maybe Batarian? Let's have a look-see…"

Kirrahe called up his omnitool, performing a basic medscan of Javik, who scowled at him all the while.

"…A… A quad-strand genetic structure?" Kirrahe remarked as he looked at the scan results. "But that's impossible. That would mean…" He looked up at Javik with shock and awe.

"I was buried in a stasis pod on the human world of Eden Prime" Javik said.

"I… I see… Gracious, Commander, nothing connected to you is ever simple or predictable, is it?"

"How did you get posted to this base, Major?"

"I led the team on Tuchanka that found the females. Nasty business. Maelon may have meant well, but his operation was crude. Test subjects were unaccounted for. The females easily escaped his lab." 

"Are the Salarians prepared for war with the Reapers?"

"I've heard what they're doing to Earth. I'm not sure any species can prepare for _that_. Though rumors suggest you're building a superweapon of some kind…?"

"The business with the Krogan females is part of it. I need the Turians' support, and they need the Krogans'."

"That is why I never became a diplomat – too much hand-holding; leave it to the Dalatrasses."

"Well, it was nice seeing you again, Major."

"Likewise. And Commander…" Kirrahe leaned in close, speaking low. "Regardless of what the politicians decide, you can count on my support in retaking Earth."

"You'd do that?"

"Consider it my way of returning a favor. It would be an honor to fight alongside you again. Good day."

The quintet made their way over to the elevator, finding Padok Wils waiting nearby.

"You have clearance now to see the females, Commander" he said. "I hope we can solve this matter _without_ reenacting the Krogan Rebellions."

"What do _you_ think about handing over the females?"

"I differ from most of my colleagues. Curing the genophage will bring closure to this issue. In the future, the Krogans may yet play some role we can't even imagine. We should let the evolutionary process decide who lives and dies, not galactic politics."

They walked over to the elevator, which scanned Shepard and then opened.

"Now," Wils continued, "take this elevator down and someone will-"

Suddenly, a low-pitched alarm began sounding throughout the base.

"_Alert! Threat condition two has been declared. Scramble readiness teams._"

"What's happening?" Shepard asked.

"Sensors have picked up activity on the perimeter" Wils replied, checking his omnitool. "Hurry, Commander. Someone will meet you below."

As Salarians scrambled to prepare and a gunship took off, Team Shepard boarded the elevator. Riding it down, they arrived in an expansive laboratory. Salarian scientists and soldiers moved about, securing data and checking reports. Up ahead, a few soldiers were gathered around another scientist.

"All specimens are accounted for, sir" one said.

As the soldiers moved away, the team got a good look at who they'd been reporting to: an older Salarian in a red-lined white labcoat, missing part of one of his cranial horns. He smiled as he caught sight of the team.

"Shepard!" he said. "Excellent timing. Good to have you here."

"Mordin?" Shepard sounded a bit surprised as he shook Dr. Solus' hand.

"Eyesight still sharp. Surprise understandable. Hadn't expected to return to work."

"His speech is strange…" Javik murmured.

"Ah. A Prothean. Excellent."

"You're back with the STG?" Liara asked.

"Special consultant. Had to be me; someone else might've gotten it wrong." He looked around, and then leaned in close and whispered. "Helped female Krogans. Fed information to Clan Urdnot. Encouraged political pressure to free females."

"You must be Wrex's inside source" Shepard said.

"Yes. Can explain later. Security warnings not normal. Need to get offworld for sake of Krogans." He led the group through the lab. "Females had weakened immune systems; side effect of Maelon's 'cure'." He stopped by the window of a containment cell holding a handful of bodies with sheets draped over them. "These… didn't survive."

"But what about Maelon's research? I thought we saved it."

"Indeed. Data saved, but not complete. Lacks crucial details to reconstruct cure, but still useful for synthesizing from living tissue. …Couldn't save them."

"I'm sure you did everything you could, Mordin."

"Arrived too late. Cannot delay now. One survivor. Immune to genophage. Can synthesize cure from her tissue."

"She's still here?" Shepard asked as he and the group followed Mordin further in.

"Yes. Last hope for Krogans. If she dies, genophage cure… problematic."

He led them to a containment cell, within which was a 'pod' holding the female Krogan, her body and face – except for her eyes, a calm yet piercing gaze – obscured by the robe and veil she wore.

"I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy."

"Are you here to kill me?" she asked.

"Goddess…" Liara whispered, looking at her Omnitool's display of the Krogan's med-scan data. "What she's been through…"

"Urdnot Wrex and I are here to take you home" Shepard said.

"Why? What am I to you?"

"Have the Salarians been mistreating you?"

"Those were my sisters you saw back there. They did in a lot of pain."

"Did the best we could…" Mordin remarked.

"And now I know I'm the only one left. That makes me dangerous to a lot of people. What about you, Commander?"

"You're the future of the Krogan race. I'm fighting for that."

Suddenly, alarms began blaring.

"Then I hope you brought an army…"

"_Alert! Unidentified vessels have breached the perimeter!_"

The Salarian scientists and soldiers began scrambling.

"Give me an update!" one asked his colleague working on a terminal.

"Outbound communication has been severed!" the soldier replied. "We're cut off!"

"Secure all data to off-site location!"

"What's happening?" Shepard asked one who ran over to the terminal of the female Krogan's pod.

"We have multiple ships inbound!" the Salarian replied.

"_Shepard, it's Wrex!_" the old Krogan said over Shepard's omnitool. "_Cerberus troops are attacking the base! Get the females out of there now!_"

"Only one survived the aftereffects of Maelon's work, Wrex. It might be safer down here."

"_What, so the Salarians can kill her, too? No deal! If you still want this alliance, get her out of there!_"

Shepard nodded as the connection closed, and turned to the Salarian at the console.

"Release the female" he ordered. "We're leaving."

"I can't. Protocol states during lockdown no specimen-"

The worker abruptly seized and twitched, a Neural Shock wracking his body for a second.

"Objection noted" Mordin said, holding his Omnitool to the man's head. "Now, please release Krogan."

The Salarian keyed in a few commands, and the door to the transfer pod's control section opened.

"Need to monitor pod as it clears quarantine procedures" Mordin said as he got in, the door sealing behind him as a holo-terminal formed at his fingertips. "Meet us at next checkpoint, Shepard. Likely Cerberus opposes genophage cure."

Shepard nodded, as the pod began to rise out of the lab.

"You'll see Tuchanka again" he said to the female. "I promise."

As the pod rose, Team Shepard hurried back to the elevator they'd come down in. They opened the elevator door… and were greeted by the sight of an explosive charge sitting right in the middle of it, counting down the last second of its timer. Immediately Shepard, Liara, and Javik formed a triple-strength Biotic Barrier, which Teana supplemented with a Rune Shield. The bomb's blast was contained, protecting the nearby Salarians, but the elevator was gutted.

"Is there another way out of here?" Shepard asked a scientist.

"An emergency exit on the other side of the lab" the scientist pointed out.

Team Shepard hurried to the exit, Liara taking point as the team made their way up the ladder on the other side.

"_Shepard, it's Wrex! I took the shuttle! Do whatever it takes to get the female up to the landing pad! I'll try to make life miserable for Cerberus!_"

At the top, they rounded a corner and passed a squad of Salarians exchanging fire with Cerberus troops in the other structure across the valley. Moving on, a Cerberus Kodiak flew in and dropped off a fireteam of Cerberus Troopers right in Team Shepard's path. Teana had Mirage Rifle in burst-fire mode, and put a trio of rounds through the head of one Trooper. Garrus' Phaeston gunned down a second, while Shepard used a Biotic Throw to slam the other two into a wall. There was another group up ahead, but Javik and Liara threw out a double Shockwave-Chain that sent them all flying, some of them over the edge to plummet to the valley floor far below. Shepard pulled out his N7 Valiant and used it to finish off the rest, and the group moved on.

As they passed through the far door, in the next hallway a pair of Cerberus Troopers was waiting. However, the wall to the Troopers' left suddenly exploded out as a Yahg tore its way through, shoulder-checking one into a wall hard enough to cave his chest armor in, and then grabbing the other by the skull and slamming him into the floor, cracking his helmet like an egg. The Yahg roared at Team Shepard, but the jet of flames from a broken fuel line between it and them drove it to retreat.

"Careful," Shepard said, "there goes the next Shadow Broker."

"I coulda sworn it was muttering 'T'Soni' the whole time" Garrus added.

"Not funny!" Liara snapped.

After a quick detour around the jet of flames, the group made their way up a staircase to the level with the checkpoint.

"_Shepard, Cerberus troops at checkpoint!_" Mordin radioed. "_Attempting to kill Krogan! Need assistance!_"

As they ran out into the checkpoint area, Garrus made the first kill, a shot from his Mantis rifle blowing the brains out of one of the Cerberus Troopers shooting at the containment pod. A triple-shot from Mirage Rifle took down another, and a third had a hole burned through his upper chest by a sustained beam from Javik's particle rifle. The fourth tried to run, but a pistol shot from Liara got him in the back of the head. Shepard hurried over to the checkpoint terminal.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Containment shield is holding" Mordin replied, working on his own terminal. "Will try to repair if necessary. Can't speak for Krogan's health, however."

"I'm fine, Commander" the Krogan said.

"Females kept secret" Mordin continued. "Possibly a mole in STG. Could be indoctrinated. If no Krogan alliance with Turians, Reapers left unchallenged."

"We'll do more than challenge them" Shepard replied, finishing the command input and clearing the pod, which began to rise toward the next level.

"Shepard, meet us at next checkpoint. Cerberus likely to target-"

There was a blast from a thrown grenade, as a Cerberus Kodiak hovered nearby, two Troopers firing their submachine guns at the rising pod. Shepard hit both with a Biotic Pull that yanked them out of the craft to fall to their doom, and the shuttle flew away. As the team moved through the new opening out onto a ledge overlooking the valley, giving them a good view of the battle engulfing the facility, the Alliance Kodiak zoomed by, pursued by a Cerberus gunship. Without stopping, the Kodiak fired its guns at a pack of Cerberus troops ahead that were pinning a group of Salarian soldiers down, and the Salarians returned the favor by shooting a rocket at the pursuing gunship's tailfin, taking the Cerberus craft down.

"_Shepard, get cracking!_" Wrex said. "_I'll try to draw some of their fire!_"

"_Shepard, last attack compromised security systems_" Mordin reported. "_Attempting to compensate._"

The next area was a long, open area with Cerberus forces throughout – perfect for sniping. Shepard and Garrus used the Valiant and Mantis to thin the enemy's numbers, with Teana picking off the few stragglers. The team moved on, through a door and up the stairs to the next level. Here, Major Kirrahe was performing a quick and lethal melee takedown of a Cerberus Trooper as the team reached him.

"Commander, stay back!" he said, readying an odd-looking pistol-sized weapon. "Hostiles just down the hall."

"Is there an easier way around?" Shepard asked.

"You could say that…"

He then slid out of cover, firing his weapon at the trio of Cerberus Troopers advancing. Instead of bullets, it shot small glowing-blue spheres of some sort that adhered to whatever or whomever they hit. After a second, they exploded, killing the Troopers.

"How do I now have one of those?" Garrus murmured.

"Go, Commander!" Kirrahe said.

Up ahead, a Cerberus Engineer deployed an auto-turret, as a pack of Troopers joined him as well. As Team Shepard moved up, the Commander hacked the turret, causing it to turn on the Cerberus forces, shredding through half of them – including the Engineer – before being destroyed. Teana fired a 40mm grenade from Mirage Rifle's underslung launcher, killing two more, and Garrus' Phaeston & Liara's SMG put the rest down. They moved up to the next door, which scanned Shepard and then unlocked.

"I think Mordin was right" Teana said as the group filed through the hallway. "Cerberus got here way too quickly. Someone must've tipped them off."

"Every war has its traitors…" Garrus replied.

In the next, two-leveled room, a squad of Cerberus soldiers was ready and waiting, hiding behind barricades made from desks and the like. However, one met a surprising end as a varren broke free from a containment cell off to the side, leaping on the Trooper and tearing his throat out before the others brought it down. Teana switched her Device to shotgun mode and rushed in, dodging shots or letting her shields take them. Her weapon boomed, and the 8-guage shot tore through a Trooper's chest. She kept at it, thinning their numbers, and when a Guardian turned to face her he was cut down from behind by Javik. A Centurion and two Troopers fired at them from above, but Shepard overloaded the Centurion's shields and then took him out with his pistol, while the Troopers were gunned down by Garrus' Phaeston.

The group hurried up to the second level and Garrus bypassed the door, letting them out into the next checkpoint area. Another squad of Cerberus Troopers was opening fire on the pod. Shepard sent out a Combat Drone, the little construct immediately firing a few mini-rockets at the closest Trooper, while Teana fired Mirage Rifle in single-shot mode to kill two more. Liara threw out a Singularity that snatched three Troopers up, and Javik detonated it with a Warp, killing two of them and wounding the third enough for a brief burst of particle-rifle fire to kill.

"_Shepard, suspect Cerberus has cut power. Can't progress until you reroute emergency systems._"

Garrus hurried to the power station up ahead, and after only a handful of seconds he had everything back online. However, another Cerberus squad emerged from behind the group, led by a pair of Guardians. Shepard formed a Singularity that yanked the Guardians into the air, allowing a Mirage Rifle 40mm grenade to kill them. Garrus and Javik focused rifle fire on the baseline Troopers, thinning them out, and a Warp from Liara took out the last one.

"Excellent" Mordin said from within the pod's control portion. "Affinity for destruction intact, Shepard. Can clear us through now."

"How are you holding up?"

"Containment shield strong, but not designed for direct fire."

"This isn't your problem, Commander" the female said. "You don't know me."

"But I'd like to. Hang in there. Mordin, how many more checkpoints?"

"Just the landing area. Hope Urdnot Wrex still waiting."

"Wrex can't keep his hands off a fertile female" the Krogan woman said. "He'll be there."

As the pod began to rise again, another fireteam of Cerberus soldiers, including a Centurion, emerged from up ahead. A quick Overload/snipe combo from Garrus took the officer down, while Shepard's N7 Eagle killed the Troopers. The team hurried through a door and up a ladder, finally reaching the landing area. A squad of Cerberus soldiers was already there, and as soon as Team Shepard arrived they shifted fire from the pod, forcing the heroes' heads down. Teana and Garrus threw two grenades, killing or wounding around half of the enemy forces, while Shepard and Liara used a Singularity/Warp combo to take out most of the remainder, the last few being finished off by Javik.

"_Appears safe. Need final approval now, Shepard._"

Shepard moved up to the console, keying in the commands that Mordin highlighted for him. The part of the pod containing the female Krogan moved up, and a heavy crane grabbed hold of the pod and began slowly and carefully moving it across the ceiling. Suddenly, the ground shook as an Atlas dropped in from the sky above, slowly straightening up. Shepard ran for cover as it fired its cannon at him, and then it turned toward the pod containing the female Krogan, stomping towards her.

"_Shepard, I can't land until you deal with that thing!_" Wrex radioed. "_It's too dangerous!_"

"Door's jammed!" Mordin shouted. "Can't get out!"

"Stay clear" Shepard said. "We'll handle this."

"Protect the Krogan, Shepard! She's vulnerable!"

Shepard and Garrus hit the Atlas with a double Overload, weakening but not downing its shields. Fire from Liara's SMG and Javik & Garrus' rifles chipped away at the walker's shields further, but then it fired a missile that forced them to back off. Garrus hit it with another Overload while Shepard threw a grenade, and that did the trick, the walker's shields flaring and failing. Shepard looked to Teana, who nodded. Then, the red-armored Spartan/mage/shinobi took off in a burst of speed. She zigzagged, dodging cannon shots, and then leapt up and clung to a side wall. She launched herself off that, twisting through the air to avoid another cannon shot, and landed on the Atlas. Holding on despite its attempts to shake her off, she fired Mirage Rifle on full-auto at point-blank range into the cockpit canopy, shattering it after a few seconds of fire and then perforating the pilot. She leapt off as the Atlas toppled over backward, inert.

"_Okay, looks clear from here. I'm coming in now._"

The Alliance Kodiak set down, and after a few seconds Wrex hopped out, carrying a shotgun with one hand.

"You had me worried there for a minute" he said to Shepard as his other hand shook his friend's.

"Let's make this quick" Shepard said.

The group walked up to the pod, which was now offline.

"Let's get you out of there" Wrex said to the female, offering his hand.

The veil-clad Krogan woman stepped down out of the pod, ignoring Wrex's offered hand but giving him a grateful look nonetheless. Suddenly, a pair of Cerberus Troopers dropped in from above. Before they could even draw their weapons, however, the Krogan female yanked Wrex's shotgun away from him and blasted the both of them one-handed.

"I can handle myself, Wrex" she said, shoving the weapon back into his hands and heading for the shuttle.

"Women…" he muttered.

As the two Krogans headed for the shuttle, Shepard walked over to one of the Cerberus Troopers, lying in a pool of blood but still alive.

"Why is Cerberus here?" Shepard asked. "What do you want?"

Whatever the trooper tried to say, it only came out as a wet cough from shredded lungs. A couple seconds later, the man went still, succumbing to his wounds. Shepard shook his head and moved on.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

_**Normandy II, **_**Deck Two, QEC Room**

"_Commander,_" Adm. Hackett said, "_I'm hearing chatter that you're brokering a treaty between the Krogans and the Turians?_"

"If I get Krogan boots on Palaven," Shepard replied, "the Turians promise me their support."

"_And how did Cerberus get involved?_"

"I don't know. The Illusive Man is up to something."

"_Then keep them at bay. I can't overstate what a victory this treaty would be for the Alliance. We'll need all the help we can get._"

"How's the Prothean device coming?"

"_Alliance R&D has officially begun construction. The team has dubbed it 'Project Crucible'. We're throwing everybody who knows how to hold a hammer at it. This is going to be the most ambitious undertaking in human history._"

"Will we get it done?"

"_I'm not saying it won't be a challenge… but our researchers tell me the designs are… elegant – massive in scope, but strangely simple as well. We can do this, Shepard. You can do this. Never doubt that._"

"No, sir."

"_Good. Hackett out._"

-_Break_-

**Deck Two, Meeting Room**

"You have the female, Wrex" Victus said. "A cure for the rest of your people can come later."

"That wasn't the deal" Wrex replied.

"But Palaven needs your reinforcements _now_. We can't delay."

Shepard walked in, standing beside Mordin.

"Mordin," he said, "how long will it take to finish a cure?"

"Need to synthesize base antigen from female. Also requires healthy male Krogan tissue. Will need a sample."

"You're lookin' at it" Wrex said.

"Acceptable. Will need you to remain aboard _Normandy_ for procedure."

"Let's hope the food's gotten better…"

"Formulating a cure that works for every Krogan sounds like a tall order, Mordin" Shepard said. "Can you do it?"

"Of course. Similar to genophage modification project. Working against own alterations this time. Not as simple as garbage DNA blocking attachment sites. Will need to counteract shutdown of redundant nervous system, adjust neurotransmitter levels… Will create cure, Shepard. No need to worry."

"Then get started, Mordin, and make it quick."

"Always do. Will be in medbay if you'd like to speak more. 'Eve' requires tests."

"'Eve'?"

"Female's real name unknown. _Normandy_ a human vessel. Human mythology seemed appropriate under circumstances. Suggest speaking with her. New perspective. Surprising in Krogan."

As Mordin left, Victus sighed and looked out the window. Right now, he was _so_ thankful that the Human/Quarian team whose deep seismic scans had discovered the centuries-old Turian gigaton-scale warhead buried in Tuchanks' Kelphic Valley had sent a specialist team who discreetly excavated and disabled it _without_ telling the Krogans about it; Wrex was being difficult enough as is. The old Turian then left for the war room, leaving Shepard and Wrex.

"So…" Shepard said. "What's the situation back on Tuchanka?"

"I'm still getting scattered reports of Reaper forces arriving" Wrex replied. "Something big is brewing. I won't let those things take Tuchanka, not when we're about to cure the genophage. My people have had enough bad luck in our time."

"Back on Sur'Kesh, it looked like the female Krogan could hold her own."

"Our females don't lack for spirit. For males, a good show of force sorts things out. But females like to talk about it. Then think about it. Then talk about it some more."

"Women have good ideas, Wrex. You should listen."

"Yeah, but they have so _many_ of them. So sometimes I _pretend_ to listen, and… well, let's just say Krogan females have tempers, too."

"What will you do after the genophage is cured?"

"Once we deal with the Reapers, a lot of Krogans will want to settle a score with the Turians and Salarians. I won't let them. That isn't our path forward. This time will be different."

"A lot of people will be relieved to hear that. No-one wants to repeat history."

"They know we'd probably win this time. But war has never brought us anything except misery. It's time to focus on rebuilding."

"Right. That's it for now, Wrex. Let's get back to work."

"Any time. And Shepard, I like what you've done with the _Normandy_. Got tired of always hanging around the cargo bay before. I still don't have a window like Liara does, but… it's progress. Wish I could knock some heads around with you, but duty calls. If the Salarian says my DNA's important, who am I to argue?"

Shepard headed back into the CIC, finding Traynor hard at work. She turned as she heard him coming.

"Commander, nice to see you again."

"How are you settling in?" he asked.

"I actually feel somewhat useful. It's been challenging to integrate datafeeds for the war summit."

"How are the systems holding?"

"Well, I'm glad we performed stress tests."

"_Specialist Traynor has been extremely helpful_" EDI chimed in. "_The accuracy of our war-room data is a direct result of her work._"

"Thank you, EDI. I'm still getting used to all this. In the lab, we'd hoard everything – piles of tech everywhere. Out here, it's like living out of a shoe box."

"Life on an active ship always feels crowded at first. You'll get used to it."

"Oh, it's not a bad thing! I've got no problems getting cozy. This is _wonderful_. Back in the lab, we had to hoard because we had no budget. Now… EDI, Ariake Tech uses a proprietary smart-processing algorithm that could clean up our long-range data. Can we license it?"

"_We can. Analyzing and applying the upgrade now. The algorithm should reduce long-range strategic combat data analysis time by three percent._"

"Impressive" Shepard said.

"If it means getting the equipment I need, I can quite happily live out of a shoe box."

**Deck Three**

"Shepard," Garrus said, "they say female Krogans have a thing for guys with scars."

"So I've heard."

"I've got a few myself. Here's hoping nobody's planning an arranged marriage to cement this deal. Though I have to say, I admire Eve. The things she must've endured, living with the genophage… And now, to top it all off, she's her people's last hope. Imagine the pressure. Takes real courage to face that. I hope we can measure up… I've never actually seen a female Krogan before. Seems like they're the real brains on Tuchanka."

Heading over to the medbay, Shepard walked in on what must've been an interesting conversation.

"Aware Krogan females find scars attractive" Mordin was saying. "Garrus loyal, reasonably intelligent. Bit aggressive. Almost like Krogan."

"For the third time, doctor, I'm _not interested_" 'Eve' replied.

"Ah, Shepard. We were just-"

"Are you okay?" Wrex asked 'Eve' as he came in.

"I'm fine, Wrex. You can relax."

"You can't be too careful, or put any faith in Salarian doctors."

"This one is different."

"Is he? What's that he's got there?"

"Simple blood test" Mordin replied.

"What kind?"

"Kind that ends the genophage. Shepard, please. Distractions counterproductive. Also affecting comfort of patient."

"Mordin was your inside source, Wrex" Shepard said. "You can trust him."

"Salarians have minds like a maze" Wrex replied. "You never know when they're leading you into a trap."

"Trap? Eve's release my doing. Would never have known about her if not for me."

"That was then. But she's out now. And if she gets hurt, I'll feel it."

"Understand. But my patient. My responsibility. Her welfare a priority. Will not allowed her to be compromised by _anyone_."

"Heh. You've got a quad, Doctor. Keep her safe. Our females have endured enough."

"Don't forget. Still need your tissue sample."

"I'll be back."

As Wrex left, Mordin glanced over his shoulder at Shepard.

"Common phobia. Fear of needles."

"Or Salarian doctors" Shepard said.

"Now have work to do. …Prefer females of the species."

"Alright. We're going to go pick up a few supplies at the Citadel, and then… well, we'll see where things take us next."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Citadel – Docking Bay D24**

Walking through the bay area, Shepard found his shuttle pilot leaning against a railing, watching the ships enter & leave.

"You finally made it off the _Normandy_" Shepard said.

"Glad I did" Cortez replied. "Even with the chaos of all the refugees, seeing so many ships in flight is comforting. Gets me thinking. …Hey, a Turian frigate. I think that's the PFS _Havincaw_."

"What's one Turian warship doing at the Citadel?"

"Looking for dry dock, I bet. She's seen battle. Look at the waver in her drive-core emissions. Alone, limping, looking for a haven. Maybe it would've been better to just go down fighting, like their families back home."

"Are you talking about the Turians or yourself?"

"…I should have been there, with Robert."

"I'm glad you weren't. You'd be dead, and we'd never have become friends."

"Yeah, that's one good thing from all this. I'm glad to serve with you, Shepard."

"The lives of future generations rest on those Turians' shoulders. On our shoulders. Nobody is giving up. Not those Turians. Not me. Not you."

"If anyone can pull this all together, it's you. And I'm with you."

"…Hey, look. Is that an Alliance cruiser? What's it doing here?"

"That's the SSV _London_, decommissioned years ago. Look, no guns. Refugees must have salvaged her from a shipyard. _Geneva_-class cruisers always had eezo cores like granite."

"People find a way to survive."

"Do whatever it takes to see another day?" Cortez sighed. "I've got to let go" he murmured. "For real this time. The refugees here have put up a memorial wall. They leave mementos of lost loved ones. I was thinking maybe…"

"What's stopping you?"

"Nothing. I mean… Let me think about it."

Shepard nodded, giving Steve a little space. As he sat down on one of the couches in the lounge area, however, Asa came up to him.

"Commander," she said, "I have a really big favor to ask of you. The _Normandy-2_'s inter-realm slipspace drive is still operational, right? The Alliance didn't mess with it?"

"It's still working, yeah. You want us to swing by your homeworld real quick or something?"

"Nothing so selfish, Commander. I… I want us to go by Realm LDR-15, to Lucavos. I want to see if we can get Kaede out of there, alive and in one piece. I know Lucavos is still contested, but the _N2_'s stealth drives can probably get us in and out."

"I've got no problems with it, but are you sure you want to? Considering how Fuyō views you and all…"

Asa looked downcast. "I know she hates me. And some of that hate is justified. But… I still care about her. I want to see her safe. Please, Shepard. Help me rescue my old friend."

"…Alright. We'll head out soon and make the jump. I'll let everyone know."

"Thank you, Commander. This means a lot to me."

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: Heading to Lucavos to rescue Kaede F., and maybe help kick the Reapers off that world. Note that this chapter will almost certainly take a while to type up, since it's non-canon material.


	10. Landing on Lucavos

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

**Additional – Rejuve-Verse Races:**

The Lucavi are the creation of "Nekochild" (who has seemingly completely vanished from the internet…)

The Kyyreni are the creation of "Kaido"

The Aspatrians are the creation of "Professor Bob"

All others (except the OC Elvaan) creations of original, "Lurking Dragon"

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Realm LDR-15 – Aluc System – Lucavos**

There was a blur of motion as the _Normandy II_ dropped out of standard FTL, its stealth systems already online; it had come out of slipspace far out in the system to avoid detection, then jumped in to Lucavos this way to stay 'quiet'. The battle for Lucavos was in full swing; Lucavi, Elvaan, and Kyyreni ships engaged Reapers at range and occasionally up-close, while down on the planet fires burned as Tripartate ground forces fought hard against Husks and the occasionally ground-bound Reaper. The invasion leader, an old Sovereign-type named Venator, had stationed himself somewhere on the planet, away from the bulk of the fighting; after the deaths of Pinnacle and Praetor, he wasn't taking any chances.

In the _Normandy-II_'s war room, the team gathered.

"EDI, what's the situation?" Shepard asked.

"Tripartate forces are engaging the Reapers on all fronts" the AI reported. "They have taken losses, but are holding steady and have inflicted not-insignificant casualties upon Reaper forces as well. A Phoenix League battle-fleet is due to arrive and provide additional reinforcement in within the next eight to 12 hours."

"Any sign of who we came to find?"

"Scanning… Gamma-3's transponder is active, but is broadcasting from deep within a contested area. According to intercepted reports, the small garrison there is requesting assistance."

"Time to ride in and play the big damn heroes again, then" Garrus replied. "Just like old times…"

"Right. Garrus, Asa, James, Kal, report to the hangar bay in 10 minutes. We're goin' in."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

The blue Alliance Kodiak set down on a small rocky outcropping, depositing the five-person team and then bugging out. Shepard looked out over the several kilometers of sprawling flat plains, in the middle of which in the distance was a 'small' Lucavi city, the structures combining sharp angles with smooth curves in hues of grey and red; the sights of battle were visible even from here. But the team's objective was elsewhere, on the other side of the rock formation they'd been dropped off on one edge of. A path had been carved over and through the rocks, lined with the occasional sign or marker.

"Move out" Shepard ordered. "James, you have point."

The team moved single-file through the path, Kal'Reegar bringing up the rear. Over the next few minutes, they carefully crept through way through the rocks, keeping their eyes open for any trouble. Eventually, they began to hear the faint sounds of gunfire in the distance up ahead, and so they sped up a little. Suddenly, hearing something and picking it up on his motion tracker, Kal turned his shotgun skyward and blasted a Husk that had tried to leap down on him from the rocks above. As the cyber-zombie's corpse hit the ground behind the Quarian soldier, Garrus pointed his Phaeston up and took out another Husk scurrying along the upper edge. Two more Husks came from up ahead along the path, but James' assault rifle put one down while a Warp from Shepard sailed over James' head and took out the other one.

Team Shepard continued on, not encountering any further resistance in the next several minutes. Finally, they emerged into a flat open area a few hundred meters wide that contained a one-story structure in the center bearing the insignia of the Lucavi military and the Tripartate. Gunfire was being sent out by the defenders from firing ports and rooftop perches, trading fire with Cannibals and Marauders while basic Husks tried to make their way up or into the structure only to be cut down before making it too far. Straight ahead from the team's emergence point, a fireteam of Lucavi commandos and a pair of Kyyreni soldiers were taking cover behind some rocks as they traded fire with a squad of Cannibals and a pair of Marauders.

Shepard and Garrus sniped the two Marauders, surprising the Tripartate soldiers and leaving the Cannibals directionless. As the Batarian Husks tried to keep up their fire but without more intelligent Husks directing them, the Lucavi began cutting them down. Team Shepard hurried in, adding their fire to the cause, and Shepard slid in behind cover beside the commando leading the fireteam; it was Sergeant Terris, one of the Lucavi/ODST strike team members that had participated in the assault on the Collector Base.

"Commander Shepard?-!" the man was surprised. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but what are you doing on Lucavos?"

"We came to help, and also to find someone" Shepard replied. "Is Gamma-3 here?"

"Fuyō? Yeah, she's in the main structure up ahead, probably using her rifle to pick targets off from the roof. We were tryin' to get to there but these bastards pinned us."

"Stick with us; we'll carve a path."

Kal'Reegar and Asa used their assault rifles to cut down on the enemy's numbers, while a Kyyreni soldier killed a Cannibal with his shotgun, and Shepard took out another with an Incinerate blast. One of the Lucavi threw a grenade, the blast killing a few more of the Cannibals, with James joining the two Kyyreni in shotgunning those that were wounded by the blast but survived. Garrus' Phaeston and Shepard's Hurricane made short work of the remainder.

"Move out!"

Kal'Reegar and one of the Kyyreni led with shotguns out, the mixed group making their way down a slight incline toward the base. A ways down, a pack of Husks emerged in their path; Shepard sent out his Combat Drone, the construct firing electric bolts and incendiary rockets at the cyber-zombies, making the shotgun-wielders' jobs easier. A magic-based Shockwave attack from Asa cleared out the survivors, enabling the teams to keep moving. Nearing the structure, they caught a pack of Cannibals from behind, Shepard tossing out a Chain-Shockwave that bowled them over, taking some of the heat off the structure's defenders and allowing them to counterattack. Caught between two squads of well-armed soldiers, the Reaper troops were quickly cut down.

"Kal, James, stay down here and help with defense at ground level!" Shepard said. "Garrus, Asa, we're going up to the roof!"

As the two soldiers nodded and moved out, Shepard and Garrus made their way into the structure to find a ladder up to the roof, while Asa simply made a magic-powered leap up. Up on the roof, she finally caught sight from behind of a certain orange-haired girl, currently wearing her custom armor and firing her M395 DMR down at Husk forces attacking the facility from below. However, focusing through her rifle's scope, Kaede failed to notice a Husk stealthily climbing up the wall to the right of and behind her. Acting fast, Asa drew and fired her M2 Lancer, a barrage of rounds catching the Husk from the side. Kaede startled and turned just in time to see the dead Husk lose its grip and plummet off the roof, and then she saw the person who'd just saved her. Before she could react to Asa's presence, a nearby hatch in the roof opened, and Shepard & Garrus climbed up.

"W… What are you all doing here?" Kaede asked.

"We were in the neighborhood," Asa replied, "thought you could use a hand."

"Actually," Shepard said, "as soon as Shigure here found out you were still here and in trouble, she was insistent we hurry here to render assistance."

Kaede looked at Asa with a mixture of emotions, but before she could even settle on which feeling to feel, there was a nearby small explosion as a grenade launched by a Cannibal impacted against the edge of the roof.

"Explanations can wait" Garrus said, readying his Mantis. "First we need to drive these bastards off!"

Realizing the Turian was right, Kaede nodded, and she and everyone else took positions along the raised 'lip' of the roof's edges (made this way partly for aesthetics and partly for cover in just this sort of situation) and started picking off Reaper forces. Garrus sniped a Marauder trying to direct Husks to the east of the base, while Shepard rained Warps and Incinerates down on Husks and Cannibals approaching from the south. Down below, Kal'Reegar and James led Lucavi forces in repelling attackers from the north. Thankfully, the west was clear, and so the defenders only had to divide their attention between three points instead of all four.

"Brute, coming from the east!" Garrus shouted.

Kaede turned to look, and was surprised to see a hulking monster of a Husk, with a huge pincer-like claw on its right arm, charging with startling speed toward a quartet of Kyyreni soldiers, their assault rifle rounds doing almost nothing to the beast's armored hide. The Brute swung its massive claw, sending one soldier flying, and then grabbed another by the head with it and crushed his skull. Kaede leapt down, firing a Lightning-type _Sagitta Magica _strike, the kinetic and electrical force making the Brute stagger back but doing less damage than she'd hoped. The monster beat its chest and then charged at her, and she formed a bone spike from her right palm, 'charging' it with Fire-type chakra and rushing to meet the beast. She thrusted her weapon out, but the Brute's thick armor withstood it, making it slide to the side, leaving a glowing line across the metal plates, and unbalancing Kaede. She then barely managed to harden her body a split-second before a swing of the Brute's claw sent her flying, rolling to a stop a few meters away. The Brute charged at her again, but suddenly a rocket struck it from the side, the explosion hurling it to the side as a blasted, smoldering corpse. Kaede looked over to where the rocket had come from and saw Kal'Reegar hefting a UNSC M41 rocket launcher; he then used the other rocket in the magazine to take out a trio of Cannibals.

Finally, the flow of attackers dried up, the Husks having given up… for now. Everyone started checking the wounded and tending to the dead, beginning repairs, inspecting their weapons and gathering ammo, and the like. Shepard, Garrus, and Asa made their way down from the roof, joining up with James, Kal, and Kaede.

"Alright, Shigure," Kaede said the girl's surname like it were a curse, "what are you trying to pull? Did you want to come and see my corpse personally so you'd know for certain there would be one less 'competitor' for Rin-kun? Or did you want to keep me alive so you could make me watch you and him some more, rub my face in it?"

"N-No!" Asa replied defensively. "Kaede-chan, that's not it at all! How could you ever think-"

"Then why?-! What possessed you to travel clear across the realms to here just for one person who hates you because you _stole the only boy I ever loved from me_?-!"

"…Because I still care about you" Asa said in a quiet tone, her voice trembling a bit. "Because I still remember what it was like before this thing with Rin, back when you and I were friends… I know you hate me now, and I know those days can never come back, but… no matter what, even though you hate me, took out my eye, tried to _kill _me, I still love you as a friend – as a _sister_ – and I probably always will…"

Kaede was speechless, shock overcoming anger for just this moment in time… along with the faintest twinge of regret, remembering those days long gone.

"…All I wanted was for him to love me back…" Kaede said softly, her tone sad and despondent but no longer quite angry. "I wouldn't have even cared if he had a bunch of girls he loved and did things with, just so long as I was one of them. And instead you kept him for yourself…"

"I hadn't intended to" Asa replied. "I never wanted him to ignore or shut out any of you girls, even accidentally. Hell, if he'd wanted to be with you or Sia or Nerine or anyone else in addition to me, I would've been fine with sharing. …I actually would've _preferred_ you being the third member… Every time you've made known your dark feelings toward me and/or Rin, it's made my heart ache so badly… No matter how much you hate me, I'll always see you as my beautiful and precious friend."

"It's like something out of a _telenovela_…" James muttered.

"…How did it all come to this, Asa?" Kaede asked wearily. "How did you and I get to this point?"

"Rin was an oblivious doofus who didn't notice your feelings and never even thought about how this all would affect you until it was too late… and I was so caught up in things that I didn't, either. Neither of us thought to make sure you were okay until things had already gone downhill, and I haven't been able to bring myself to say what I'm saying now because I've been too afraid of hurting you more… or, well, of being hurt _by_ you more…"

"And I haven't given you the chance to before now. …Maybe if I'd talked to him before everything, I could've… told him how I felt; he could've let me down gently instead of ignoring me and thinking I'd be okay on my own… or something; I would've still been heartbroken and angry, but maybe not to the point of hate… Or if I'd talked to you, you could've stopped him from ignoring me before I… deteriorated like I did…"

"Like the old woman in that one _Star Wars_ game I played once said: 'it is all that is left unsaid upon which tragedies are built'…"

"Yeah…"

Slowly and cautiously, Kaede took a few steps forward, stopping in front of Asa. The green-haired girl was nervous as she saw the shorter girl's right arm lift up, but then it stopped, and she realized Kaede was holding her hand out. Gasping softly, Asa slowly returned the gesture, grasping Kaede's hand with her own… and then pulled Kaede into a tight hug, holding her old friend close. Kaede felt a twinge of discomfort, not yet 100% sure if she was ready to go this far, but after a few seconds she decided to let it slide this time. She was still angry and heartbroken, hadn't really completely forgiven either party yet, and it would probably be a long time before she could actually call Asa 'friend' again. But the hatred was no longer present.

Suddenly, everyone was startled by a faint boom from high overhead. They looked up, and a Reaper Destroyer was plummeting from the sky, a sizable hole burned clean through its center.

"_Yeah, I caught this bastard trying to sneak up on you guys from above_" Joker radioed. "_Thanix Cannon said 'no' to that. You're welcome, by the way._"

"Thanks for that, Joker" Shepard replied. He then turned to the Lucavi Army Captain who'd been in charge of this small base. "Are there any other DDF individuals of import around here?" he asked.

"A PreCure team" Kaede spoke up. "The Smile Cures; they were here on Lucavos as… well, tourists, basically. The other two teams are either on their respective Earths or getting deployed, but Miyuki-chan and her friends are here somewhere."

"Any idea where they are?"

"We'll try tracking their transponders" the Captain said. "And hope we have enough orbital infrastructure left to find them."

"There's a Phoenix League fleet due to arrive within the next half-day. They should provide a little relief. My team and I will head back to our ship until you find the Cures' locations."

Soon, a Kodiak shuttle descended to retrieve the ground team; notably, as they walked toward the waiting craft, Asa still had an arm around Kaede's shoulders.

**-**_**CODEX ENTRIES – REALM LDR-15 NATIVE SPECIES**_**-**

**Lucavi: **"The Lucavi, or _Homo sapiens sanguinus_, are a subspecies of human native to the world of Lucavos in Realm LDR-15, a cool world of forests, plains, and the occasional semi-arid zone orbiting a K4-type star. While initially suspected to be a separate _Homo_ species, genetic analysis and the presence of fertile human-Lucavi offspring confirmed the race to be a separate subspecies of _Homo sapiens_. They are distinguished from baseline _H. s. sapiens_ humans by significantly better night vision, and by the need to feed upon the blood of living beings, preferably sapient ones, to remain healthy, though the amount of blood drawn is rarely fatal to the person being fed upon unless the Lucavi they encounter is enraged or starving; they generally take no more than what is given in the average blood donation. They can survive on other foods, but going too long without properly 'feeding' leaves them weak and sickly. In addition, they can only safely consume the blood of levo-amino-acid species.

"Lucavi, especially military personnel, are renowned for their skill in stealth, making them scouts and assassins of near-unparalleled skill. They have developed similar stealth skill in space; Lucavi starships, especially warships, use a combination of ablative coating, limited active camouflage, and emission-capture technology similar to that introduced by the Systems Alliance _Normandy SR-1_, to render them nigh-undetectable in anything other than the visual spectrum, and not very easy to find in that. Unfortunately, their ships are rarely capable of surviving, let alone winning, protracted firefights against their counterparts wielded by other races due to comparatively weak armor; however, adoption of Elvaan shield technology and the introduction of the _Eclipse_-class supercarrier, an unsubtle behemoth of extraordinary offensive and defensive power, are changing this.

"Lucavi government is a federation of multiple member-states called Clans; each Clan is composed of hundreds to dozens of thousands of families, all of which share a common ancestry with other families in the Clan. Each Clan democratically elects its leaders, and the Clan Heads in turn form a council that serves as the primary governing body for the Lucavi as a whole. In addition, the Lucavi armed forces are deliberately engineered to not be loyal to any one Clan above any others, with members of all Clans integrated near-seamlessly. One of the oldest, largest, and most influential is the Nightsailer Clan, the members of which have a strong military tradition; many Nightsailers become either special-forces operatives or naval personnel. Due to their size and presence, and due to their younger members' common drive to explore the galaxy, they typically act as the 'face' of the Lucavi when dealing with other races.

"The Lucavi have been rather isolationist for most of their time as a spacefaring race, conducting the occasional quiet trade with other species or hiring out their services to those who can keep quiet and professional about it. However, in February of 2552 they formed a long-term politico-military and trade alliance with the Elvaan and the Kyyreni. This alliance, semi-formally known as the Tripartate, has quickly made a name for itself as a dominant power in the galaxy due to its combined economic and military strength. Fortunately, they do not seem keen to pick fights with any of the galaxy's other players, and in fact enjoy warm relations with the Phoenix League Federation and its allies."

**Elvaan: **"The Elvaan, scientific name _Homo longevinus_, are a 'sister species' to humanity native to the Realm LDR-15; their homeworld is Bihl'Tan, a mountainous world with substantial ocean cover orbiting an F8-type star. Elvaan have few physiological differences from humans; their hair comes in a wider range of natural colors (including blues, purples, whites, and pinks), their ears are long and pointed with considerable sensitivity to touch, and most notably they possess extremely long lifespans; Elvaan can live up to around 1,000 Terran years of age (the oldest on record was 1,157 at time of death). Like the Asari and Protoss, this is due to multiple factors such as extremely robust cellular regeneration and advanced telomere self-repair. However, unlike those two races, Elvaan age at a rate only around 150% that of the human-normal rate until completion of puberty before their aging then slows down to match those of other comparably-long-lived species. Elvaan and humans are capable of producing healthy offspring via mating, but said hybrids will always be sterile, similar to the mules and ligers of Earth; thus, unlike their contemporaries the Lucavi, the Elvaan are classed as a separate species of the _Homo_ genus.

"Elvaan are renowned for being graceful; their dancers, gymnasts, and other physical performers are renowned across Realm LDR-15 by those fortunate enough to witness them. Elvaan society is traditionally matriarchal, due in part to females making up approximately 72% of the species population, though recent centuries have seen an equalizing of gender rights. Motherhood is treated in very high regard, near or at the point of reverence, even in 'surrogate mother' roles such as babysitters, schoolteachers of young children, and children's-hospital workers. In addition, it is not uncommon for a mother Elvaan's close friends to assume the role of additional or 'secondary' mothers for her children, assisting in raising, caring for, and nurturing them as if they were their own.

"Despite their matriarchal, graceful, motherly nature, the Elvaan also have a strong martial culture. Most Elvaan will spend at least a couple decades of his or her life in military service at some point; every Elvaan has some degree of combat training, even if just martial arts for self-defense. The Elvaan military prides itself on honor and discipline, much like the Sangheili or the Turians, though they are reasonably tactically flexible as well. They believe that a good defense can make for a better offense, and this is reflected in their doctrine and in their gear. Elvaan forces will, in a conventional battle, start off defensively, withstanding and dodging enemy fire and luring the enemy in close, only to then pounce in a counterattack of startling speed and surprising power (this leaves them slightly lacking in running-offense or force-recon operations, but their alliance with the Kyyreni and the Lucavi makes up for that). They also field exquisitely-trained starfighter groups; Elvaan fighter pilots are renowned for their skill. Elvaan-made energy shields, from personnel- to warship-scale, are among the most durable of LDR-15, and their designs were borrowed from and incorporated into the Phoenix League's more recent warships.

"Elvaan government is a federation of 'clans' composed of hundreds of families each, much like the Lucavi. Each 'clan' elects a representative from its own governing body to be part of a Council that oversees and makes decisions for the race of the whole. Amongst the Council, no one Councilor is leader; all are equal, and important decisions are made by three-quarters majority vote. Due to their long lifespans, Elvaan can afford to spend many years deliberating over any significant decision before putting it to a final vote, though they are also capable of being considerate of other races' shorter lifespans by 'rushing' decisions affecting them through more quickly.

"In February of 2552, the Elvaan formed a long-term politico-military and trade alliance with the Lucavi and the Kyyreni. This alliance, semi-formally known as the Tripartate, has quickly made a name for itself as a dominant power in the galaxy due to its combined economic and military strength. Fortunately, they do not seem keen to pick fights with any of the galaxy's other players, and in fact enjoy warm relations with the Phoenix League Federation and its allies."

**Kyyreni: **"The Kyyreni are a race of canid bipeds from the Realm LDR-15 world of Urokon, a harsh planet tidally locked to its Type-M1 parent star. Kyyreni have been described by humans as 'anthropomorphic wolf/lion hybrids' in appearance, with digitigrade lower limbs and a wolf-like muzzle, their males possessing a thick mane and a tuft of fur at the ends of their tails. Kyyreni have superb low-light vision, slightly better than that of the Lucavi, as well as heat-sensitive skin patches that allow them to 'see' a little ways into the infrared spectrum. They also shed and regrow teeth constantly throughout their lives. The Kyyreni body is well adapted to surviving in harsh conditions; Kyyreni have two livers, four kidneys and a three-section stomach, all of which working together allow them to ingest and neutralize a myriad of toxic substances. However, Kyyreni do not live long by most species' standards; to see a Kyyreni over the age of 50 Terran years is a rarity, their lifespans third only to the Salarians and Vorcha amongst sapient races known by the Dimensional Defense Force.

"Kyyreni culture is divided into three groups, depending on whether they hail from Urokon's perpetually-scorched day side, its frozen night side, or the twilight belt in the middle. Night-siders are reclusive and nomadic but amiable and patient with outsiders; Day-siders are nearly all anarchic raiders, cruel and vicious even by their race's standards and wholly rejecting of any outside influence or presence; and the 'Dawn-dwellers' form the technically-dominant portion of their society. The Dawn-dwellers have a bloody history; in centuries past, brutal wars exacerbated plagues and famines to cause widespread devastation. A rigid code of honor was established to curb the Kyyreni's worst impulses and bring about some semblance of peace, and for the most part it has worked. Whilst the Dawn-siders are often referred to collectively as "The Dawn Kingdom", and in theory are a single, unified nation, in practice the Dawn remains politically fractured.

"Chivalry and martial honor form the core of current Kyyreni moral structure; the Kyyreni are born and raised believing that honor and glory are the most important things in life, and they dedicate their lives to this pursuit not only for themselves, but for their family and comrades as well. The Kyyreni society is made up of numerous social tiers; Houses – divided into Common, Noble, and Royal – sit above the 'Thrall' case composed of Guilds, Cabals, and Collectives. Each gender has their own distinct roles to play in Kyyreni society. Men are expected to be warriors, whilst women pursue mercantile or political careers. This cultural militarization would normally result in extreme casualties, so the Kyyreni have highly ritualized conflict between Houses and Guilds to the point where such battles are resolved by duels with swords, axes and other primitive weapons. Fleet battles and 'modern' battles still occur, though they too often have strict rules as to how they may be conducted. Kyyreni enjoy a good fight, however; non-lethal sparring, war games, and the like are frequent, and they are quite happy to participate in an actual war if their honor code allows it.

"In the past, the Kyyreni were prolific raiders and even slavers, preying on the ships of other races. This almost brought them into conflict with a human colony cluster centered around the world of Icarus, but the Kyyreni Tu'ri House managed to negotiate a ceasefire before things could get too out of hand, publicly 'punishing' the offenders (actually only doing so to the most violent and sadistic offenders, the rest being relocated to interstellar guard posts on the other side of Kyyreni Space) and setting up a tentative trade system with the colonists. However, this agreement was nullified with the outbreak of the League-Confederacy War across all human worlds, the Kyyreni choosing to quietly offer moral support to the League.

"In recent years, Kyyreni society has undergone a bit of a shift. Piracy is no longer officially sanctioned and is on the decline, thanks in part to the alliance with the Lucavi and Elvaan providing the Kyyreni with plentiful resources, such that raiding is no longer required for obtaining resources or luxury goods. The Tu'ri House has become the semi-official representative body for the race as a whole, having done their best to study extra-species diplomacy, even studying under some Night-siders to fine-tune that craft. The species as a whole has 'mellowed out' some since being inducted into the Tripartate, though some still believe that the Lucavi and the Elvaan are crucial in keeping the Kyyreni in check."

**Jalaxians: **"The Jalaxians are a bipedal feline race native to Realm LDR-15's Jalaxia, a large, humid world orbiting the F6-type star Caprici. Looking much like anthropomorphic cats, their bodies are mostly covered in a fine, soft fur, with markings and colors varying by region. They tend to be slightly smaller on average than humans, but otherwise have the same build and body shape (excepting their digitigrade lower limbs). Jalaxia's gravity is markedly higher than Earth's, and as a result Jalaxians are considerably stronger physically than their lithe frames would suggest due to high muscle density, and they can move with bewildering speed and agility in Earth-standard gravity.

"Jalaxian culture bears very strong resemblance to that of humans, in governmental structure, education, military, financial/economic, and other properties. Jalaxian urban and suburban areas are meticulously-planned mergers of technology and nature, with gardens, bodies of water, and copses of trees set amongst cities, seamlessly merging. However, Jalaxian architecture features virtually no sharp angles; everything curves – gardens, roads, buildings. The tall towers in the cities, round like turrets on a castle and some half a mile wide, hold layers of open-plan buildings and offices that buzz with activity. Artificial-gravity is used in transportation, 'hover cars' being used instead of ground-based wheeled vehicles.

"Their dominant religious system, _Tra-sehluk_, is a belief in everything having a 'spirit', similar to human Shintoism or the dominant belief system of the Turians. Respect of other people and of the environment is very important, as is the maintaining and strengthening of bonds with family and friends; Jalaxians keep their friends and relatives close, forming very firm bonds with those they care for. Also, dance holds a very important place in their culture, seen as a way of expressing oneself that is truer than words. Though, since meeting humanity and other races, they have become accepting – and amused – that not all races are as good at it as they are.

"The Jalaxians were the second sapient race to be encountered by the humans of Realm LDR-15. Trade relations were set up, and a few centuries of peaceful cooperation and sharing of information and trade ensued. However, in the decades leading up to the League-Confederacy War, the Jalaxians' leadership became suspicious of the Sol Confederacy, gradually and quietly reducing contact and trade while keeping a sharp eye on the humans. When war broke out and the Confederacy's centuries of depravity were revealed, the Jalaxians immediately dissolved all trade with the Sol Confederacy and supported the League, some Jalaxian soldiers even joining the League soldiers on the battlefield against Confederate forces. After the war's end, the Jalaxians forged strong bonds with the Phoenix League, assisting in strengthening the new government's infrastructure and military; today, efficient and powerful Jalaxian-designed power plants and sublight engines are featured in most League ships."

**Drakonians: **"The Drakonians are a saurian race from Realm LDR-15, hailing from Drakonia, a very humid forested world orbiting a binary G3-M7 star pair. They are omnivorous dromaeasorid beings, with large strong legs counterbalanced by thick heavy tails, and fully dexterous forelimbs. Females grow to 7-9 feet in length, while males reach 6-7 feet. Despite their large and fearsome appearances, however, they are not as physically formidable as they appear; due in part to coming from a world with only 89% Earth's gravity, they tend to only be as strong physically as the average human, relying instead on speed.

"Drakonians are a matriarchal society, with females holding most positions of power. Their government is a republic, though with some meritocratic undertones. Drakonians are known as a species to be emotionally strong and somewhat prideful, but also stubborn and conservative. They are generally slow to adopt changes unless events forced the changes upon them, and in debates and arguments they can hold their position for days if need be. Their military values tradition, and strategies outside the accept norm are treated with suspicion. Most Drakonian soldiers use a form of strength-enhancing powered armor, and a few wield traditional battle-axes with minor gravitic-boost drives in the heads in addition to more modern firearms.

"The Drakonians were the first contact for the humans of Realm LDR-15, the two races encountering one another in 2147. Despite a language barrier (the different throat structures make it impossible for either species to speak the other's language), translation software enabled the two races to quickly begin sharing knowledge and tech, advancing each other as they traded and explored. The Drakonians held onto this bond in the centuries that followed, but this left them unable to see the Sol Confederacy's growing corruption. Even when war broke out between the Confederacy and the Phoenix League, with the Jalaxians supporting the League, most Drakonians – including their government – refused to believe the charges leveled against the Confederacy. However, after the details of the Oakland Atrocity of 2553 were made public a day after, the horrified Drakonians immediately withdrew support of the Confederacy and stepped out of the war altogether, forming trade alliances with the Phoenix League in the aftermath.

"Today, the Drakonians are political-military allies with the Phoenix League, their lightweight yet very durable armor designs being incorporated into League ships. Feeling a sense of betrayal at their former allies, they keep a watchful eye on the remnants of the Confederacy, now banished to the world of Outreach on the far edge of human space."

**Rigellians: **"The Rigellians are an insectoid race from Realm LDR-15, their homeworld being Rigellia, a rocky forested world around 85% the size of Earth orbiting a G4-type star. They look like 1.5-meter-tall, semi-anthropomorphized wasps, though their facial structure has some humanoid qualities, and their mouths and throats are similar enough for them to – with a bit of difficulty – speak some human languages. They are capable of very limited 'flight' (more like brief hovering) in Earth-standard gravity, and their abdomens bear an 8cm stinger used for self-defense.

"The Rigellians possess a powerful innate psychic ability in the form of telepathy and empathy – the ability to read someone's emotions and unguarded surface thoughts at close range and – with physical contact with the head – probe deeper into a person's mind. However, perhaps as a result of this ability, the Rigellians are a very empathic and kind people, sensitive to the needs of others and loathe to 'read' someone with such depth unless consent is given or it is otherwise necessary. They are well-known as healers and psychologists, using their keen understanding of the 'inner workings' of other races to help them deal with problems and issues.

"Rigellian government is divided into 'hives', each ruled by a queen and her chosen consort or consorts. Each queen oversees her hive, making decisions regarding things that affect the hive as a whole, while leaving 'lesser' decisions and problems to her attendants and advisors. The queens, in turn, collaborate to make decisions that affect the Rigellian race as a whole, such as those regarding interactions with other species or warfare. The Rigellians do possess a standing military, but it is heavily automated – battle droids and auto-defenses outnumber live soldiers by a significant margin. However, the few chitin-and-blood soldiers are expertly trained in many forms of lethal and non-lethal combat, and carry weapons of organic appearance and surprising technological complexity.

"Though understanding the occasional need for it, the Rigellians do not care for armed conflict. Their empathic nature makes it difficult for them to stomach the idea of causing other beings pain or taking lives; they would much rather hang back and then, once the fighting is over, sweep in and do what psychotherapeutic damage control they can for the survivors. If forced to actually fight, they work to end conflicts with a minimum of unnecessary bloodshed, targeting vital supply lines and machinery to render their enemies incapable of continuing the fight without killing them all. Nonetheless, if they feel a particular battle must be won in a 'final' matter, they will do so without hesitation, deploying their war droids with the express purpose of rendering a foe incapable of fighting back."

**Aspatrians: **"The Aspatrians are a race of vulpine sapients from LDR-15; they come from the damaged world of Aspatria, its recovering but still-polluted atmosphere dulling the light from its K1-type star Asgard. They have been described as anthropomorphic foxes, covered in red-to-orange fur and with a sleek yet lean-muscled build.

"The Aspatrians have a rather ugly history. For a very long time, the planet was under the control of a vicious, misogynistic dictatorship. All females, as well as male children under the age of 13, were seen as property of males, able to be abused, beaten, raped, sold, even killed without guilt or repercussions; in fact, the state-established dominant religion of the time actually sanctioned and encouraged it. Due to rampant and unregulated industry, the planet was heavily polluted – toxins in the air, water, and soil led to deaths from famine and disease being the number-one causes of death in society. Overpopulation was a serious concern, one that the dictatorship 'solved' by occasionally sending soldiers to massacre the entire populations of the very crowded slums.

"In 2560, the Phoenix League caught wind of the situation. Horrified and outraged by what they saw, they collaborated with the Tripartate in a joint invasion, intent on toppling the dictatorship – at the time headed by 'Emperor' Francias Renacross – and liberating the populace. It was a short and brutal war; in a matter of months, the dictatorship was defeated, and Renacross publicly executed (by females, to add insult to injury). The significant majority of adult and late-adolescent male Aspatrians were too 'indoctrinated' by their society; they fought viciously and to the death against the League-Tripartate-Resistance forces, with most of the survivors committing suicide at the war's end rather than live in a society where females held power. This resulted in a population ratio of nearly four females to every one male when everything was said and done; thankfully, some adult males (particularly from the poorer classes) were opposed to the violent treatment of women and children their government had sanctioned, had assisted in the fight against the dictatorship and were now able and willing to help what was left of their people rebuild and restructure.

"After some deliberation, the Aspatrians were made a client/protectorate race of the Tripartate. The Phoenix League donated a 'fleet' of ultra-advanced, automated 'scubber' drones manufactured by the Forerunner mega-forge they possessed; these constructs would work tirelessly to cleanse Aspatria's atmosphere, soil, and water of toxins and pollutants; as of this entry, they are still hard at work, and it is projected to take decades more work before the process is complete, but already changes for the better are beginning to become noticeable. A confederation-style government has been set up, gender-neutral in theory but matriarchal in practice, with Tripartate advisors helping the new society adjust and develop healthily. The Aspatrians do maintain a standing military for defense, but they mainly rely upon Tripartate military forces for protection against outside threats."

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: Lucavos, Part 2. I've got a couple big things planned…


	11. Warriors of Light and Shadow

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Realm LDR-15 – Aluc System – Lucavos – Aboard the **_**Normandy II**_

"Dire news from Earth: off the radar, reaping begins in rural areas. Millions are dead in the Central-Asian wilderness, even more in Sub-Saharan Africa. We'll give you the gruesome view of what happens when the Reapers don't stop to indoctrinate. Now, in the Battle-Space."

As Allers filed her rather dismal report, Shepard wandered through the halls of the _Normandy_'s second deck. It had been a couple hours since his team had saved the small garrison groundside and extracted Gamma-3. Speaking of which, Kaede was currently actually spending time with Asa; neither of them were saying too much, with Kaede instead trying to get re-used to being in the other girl's presence without hostility (they were very carefully avoiding the topic of Rin Tsuchimi, he noticed). He entered the starboard lounge to check on them, and found another pair of old friends doing some catching up of their own, with Kaede and Asa casually listening in.

"Enough about me" Garrus said. "What were _you_ doing before we met up?"

"Oh, you know," Liara replied, "this and that."

"Come on. Spill it, T'Soni."

"Very well. I fought several explosive battles with Cerberus, I helped Shepard stop a robotic assassin on Mars, and I discovered plans for a Prothean doomsday device that had been buried for 50,000 years."

"Yeah, so just 'this and that', huh?"

"Right. So… 'Archangel'."

"You heard about that, huh?"

"Your sojourn on Omega generated quite a few articles… not to mention security footage. There's one thing I couldn't dig up, though. Did you really take out three Blue Suns mercenaries with only one bullet?"

"No, of course not. The third guy had a heart attack; not fair to count him."

Shaking his head with a slight grin, Shepard headed up to the CIC.

"Commander," Traynor said, "Captain Torbin, the one you spoke with, just sent up some data. They've narrowed down the general area where the PreCure team is the best they could; it'll be up to us to pinpoint them. The girls are somewhere in a town in contested territory, along the coast."

"Alright. I'll take EDI, Liara, Fuyō, and Shigure down there with me."

"Make room for one more, Shepard" a certain Krogan said as he came out of the War Room. "Mordin says he doesn't need my tissue sample just yet, so as long as I don't get myself killed I can come with you for this op."

Shepard smiled. "Glad to hear it, Wrex. Head down to the hangar; I'll be there soon."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

The UT-47A Kodiak headed toward the coastal town, signs of infantry-scale battle already visible. The sensor-cloaked shuttle touched down along the outer border of the town, near a market area in the east quadrant of town, and Team Shepard hopped out, weapons ready. As Cortez took the shuttle out to a safe distance, Shepard visually scanned the area, but there were no hostiles nearby. The faint sounds of gunfire were heard from deeper in the town.

"Can either of you sense for any flares of magical energy that might be one of Hoshizora's team?" Shepard asked Kaede and Asa.

"Let me try…" Asa replied, closing her eyes and expanding her 'senses'. After several seconds, she looked to the southwest, further into the town. "That way," she said, "about 400 meters."

"Alright, let's go. Everyone keep your eyes sharp; any building could have Husks in it."

The team moved out, Kaede taking point and Wrex bringing up the rear. Cautiously they made their way down the street lined by shops selling various merchandise, now quiet and empty. Directed by Asa, they moved down an alley, walking between two three-story buildings. As the moved, a few of them noticed faint scratching sounds and metallic chittering echoing through the narrow alley. Suddenly, Kaede aimed up and fired her shotgun, blasting a strange new Husk that had been crawling down the side of the building wall directly above her. More of the sounds came from above and behind them.

"Move!" she shouted. "Out of the alley!"

Everyone hurried through to the next street, with Wrex turning and blasting another of the new Husks, allowing everyone else to get a good look at its body. It was lithe in build but with powerful muscles in its limbs, which were tipped with huge claws that enabled them to cling to surfaces. Faintly-glowing tendrils formed a mane around its head, and it had a long, thin tail tipped with a stabbing spike, and a wolf-like muzzle held razor-sharp metallic fangs.

"What is that?" Liara said.

"It's a Leaper," Kaede replied, "a Kyyreni Husk."

With chittering screeches, three more Leapers emerged. Liara and Asa fired their automatic weapons at one of them that was clinging to the wall, but the Leaper propelled itself with startling speed and distance, launching clear over to the wall of another building several meters away. It hissed, and then launched itself over to a power pole, and then right at the team. EDI hit it with an Overload mid-leap, and it crashed as the shock ravaged its systems, tumbling across the ground; Wrex put it down with a shotgun blast. The other two Leapers, meanwhile, had engaged Shepard and Kaede. One of them leapt at Shepard, claws out, only for him to let loose a perfectly-timed Biotic Shockwave that, combined with the creature's momentum, slammed into the Leaper like a gravity hammer, killing it instantly. The other one landed right in front of Kaede and attacked with a flurry of claw swipes, but she channeled Lightning chakra into her hands for a 'Shock Palm' attack that stunned the Husk, synthetic muscles seizing and locking, allowing her to finish it with a blast from her M90A shotgun.

"Looks like the Reapers decided to re-use the Geth Hopper design I encountered during my hunt for Saren" Shepard observed.

"Lucavi and Elvaan get turned into normal Husks," Kaede said, "so when the Kyyreni that the Reapers took showed up as these, it was a nasty surprise."

"Anyone with poor reaction time will get shredded by these things" Wrex remarked.

"Yeah…" Kaede replied. "That's what I've seen so far…"

"We should keep moving" Asa spoke up. "One of the Smile Cures is nearby."

"I am detecting energy spikes that match moderate magic usage coming from the sporting goods store down the street" EDI reported.

The team made their way to the store, arriving just in time to see a Husk take a green-hued cannonball of compressed air to the chest, the concussive force killing the cyber-zombie. The team finally got a look at a girl in a white and green outfit with bright-green hair (more-so than Asa's, even) as she spun around and used an Omniblade to gut another Husk. Suddenly, a Leaper dropped from the ceiling directly behind her. She spun around, but the Kyyreni Husk had already begun its attack… but then it abruptly froze as a bluish field encased it, Liara's Stasis attack grabbing hold. Shots from Asa and Kaede then took it down. The girl breathed a sigh of relief.

"Commander Shepard" Cure March said. "I didn't expect to meet you in person in this sort of situation."

"How are you and your teammates holding up?" Shepard asked. "And where are they?"

"We're okay so far; a bit tired, but still good. Come on, I'll take you to our little 'base'."

March led them out of the sporting goods store, down the street a little and then hanging a left through a short alley. They came to an unmarked one-story structure, and Cure March placed her gloved palm against a panel next to a door, sending a tiny pulse of her magical energy into it. The TSAB-designed lock pinged softly, and the door unlocked, allowing the group to enter.

"Candy and Yayoi-chan were able to set that lock up when we picked this place" March explained.

"Nao?" a girl's voice called out from inside.

"Yeah, it's me!" Cure March shouted back as she de-transformed. "I've got Kaede-san with me, and she brought friends!"

In the central room of the building, the other four girls and their little 'mascot' fairy looked up as Nao, Kaede, and Asa entered, followed by Shepard, Liara, EDI, and Wrex.

"Team Shepard's here?" Akane asked.

"That we are" the Commander replied. "How's the situation?"

"We're holding up so far" Miyuki replied. "We've cleared out most of the Husks in this area, and have been trying to get long-range communications set up. Also, we've confirmed there are quite a few survivors spread out in the south and west areas of the town, and also the Reaper forces have been taking Lucavi they capture to a camp or something in the north. We were planning on trying to figure out a way to help them, but even though we five can probably take all the Husk forces out no problem, we're worried they might turn their guns & claws on the civilians if we try."

"Well," Wrex said, "maybe with us along for the ride, we can prevent that."

Shepard nodded. "We can head out as soon as you girls are ready."

Miyuki looked around at her team, and then nodded. "Just give us a few minutes."

**-**_**Break**_**-**

The two teams made their way north together, taking out a few Husks along the way. During their 'stay' here over the past few days, the girls had acquired a few weapons from fallen Lucavi soldiers to supplement their powers; Cure Sunny carried a shotgun, while Cure Beauty wielded an elegantly-designed sniper rifle. The group had been as quiet as they could, sneaking past Husks or terminating them with as little noise as possible.

Finally, they arrived at an overlook that gave them a view of a lower-elevation area close to the beach. In this wide open area down below, a sizable force of Husk types, including a significant amount of Marauders and even a few Brutes, were standing guard around their prisoners: hundreds of Lucavi civilians – men, women, and children – gathered in a makeshift 'camp'. All of them looked worse for wear.

"What are they planning here?" Wrex rumbled.

"Nothing good…" Asa replied. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Alert" EDI suddenly said. "There is a vessel of Reaper design approaching."

A ship, around 400 meters long and composed of the sleek black metal that Reapers built their tech out of, flew in from over the ocean, taking position a couple hundred meters off the ground over the area. An element-zero-based gravity lift beam shone down from its underside. Team Shepard and the Smile Cures noticed as the Reaper forces started forcibly herding civilians toward the gravity lift. A mother was wrestled away from her family by a Marauder; her child, a girl no older than seven, tried to get to her, only for the Turian Husk to coldly smack the child away. Shepard scowled as he looked through the scope of his N7 Valiant at the Marauder's head, preparing to fire…

Suddenly, there was a flash of red light. A figure in black and red armor appeared holding a unique-looking staff, her helmet dispelled to reveal a young face with long black hair and faintly-glowing red eyes. She immediately lashed out with a focused pulse of force that slammed into the Marauder's face, snapping its head back violently enough to break its neck. As the Marauder fell, the other Husks in the area turned their attention to the newcomer, who shifted her staff into its double-energy-bladed form and prepared to fight, all while the civilians watched in shock and awe.

"I don't believe it…" Shepard muttered. "It's Eve…"

"Uh…" Wrex said, staring at him. "Pretty sure that's not the Eve I'm thinking of."

"Eve T'Lesh, the Lucavi who got a power-up from The Fallen and now wants to wipe out humanity because of what the Sol Confederacy did to her…"

"Oh yeah, now I remember. But what's she doing here?"

"Well," Liara replied, "this _is_ her homeworld, and those _are_ her people…"

Meanwhile, the first of the Husks had reached Eve. The formerly-human monsters leapt at her, claws swinging, only to be decapitated, stabbed, or bisected by her energy blades. She fired a concentrated bolt of Psionic (Force) Lightning at a Marauder, downing its shields, and then a sustained burst that fried its synthetic systems, killing it. She split her weapon into two, and pulled off a Saber Throw to slay a quartet of Cannibals and then continued cutting down basic Husks. A Marauder with an Omniblade charged at her from behind, only for a sniper's bullet to cut through its skull. Eve turned to look where it had come from, and saw a glowing blue 'cannonball' shooting down at great speed. Shepard came out of his Biotic Charge in the midst of a pack of Husks, the shockwave scattering them every which way. He immediately had his pistol and SMG out, dual-wielding them and firing at Husks and Marauders, bringing them down. He tossed out a Chain-Shockwave that took out a few more Husks and Cannibals, and then he and T'Lesh made eye contact.

"…I remember you" Eve said. "The human Commander on Al-Hazred… Why are _you_ here?"

"The same reason you are, I'd guess" Shepard replied. "To save people from the Reapers."

Before Eve could make a retort about a human wanting to 'save' anyone, there was a metallic snarl as a Brute came rushing in at the two of them. They rolled out of the way of its charge, and Shepard blasted it with a Warp while Eve fired a strike of crimson energy bolts, the blasts weakening its armor but not dealing anything fatal. An Incinerate blast from Shepard weakened the Brute's armor further, and a Saber Throw from Eve took off its smaller arm. The creature roared and charged at Eve, but Shepard hit it in the face with a Cryo Blast, freezing its head; Eve sidestepped the failed charge and lashed out with a precise and powerful kick that shattered its flash-frozen skull.

Meanwhile, the Smile Cures had leapt down to join the fray, followed by Kaede and Asa; Asa had then used her magic to help Liara get down safely, and she & Liara had then used magic and Biotics to get EDI and Wrex down in one piece as well. The old Krogan charged into battle, shotgun booming as he bulldozed through the Husks in his way.

"Shigure!" Shepard shouted. "The civilians!"

"On it!" Asa called back. She flash-stepped into the center of the group of civilians, and her body and eyes glowed green as she focused her power. With a grunt, she pushed out a dome-shaped shield that encompassed the whole group, deflecting any stray shots. Realizing what was happening, the Lucavi civilians packed in closer to her, allowing her to shrink the barrier and thus use less of her energy to keep it up.

The five Smile Cures worked together with Eve and Team Shepard to clear out the Husk forces. Sunny and Wrex used their strength and shotguns to cut down basic Husks by the bushel, while EDI's Overload and Peace's attacks stripped the shields of Marauders and made their semi-synthetic bodies spasm and lock up, leaving them easy pickings. Cure Beauty formed an ice blade and darted amongst Cannibals, dodging their fire and cutting them down, at times positioning herself so their shots hit each other instead of her; Kaede repeated Reika's tactics with bone-blades on the other side of the area. Cure Happy blasted a Brute point-blank with a Happy Shower 'set' to physical/lethal damage type, dealing a significant amount of harm such that a shotgun blast from Wrex finished it off.

"Harvester!" Shepard called out, pointing out the huge winged creature that flew in, letting out a metallic shriek as it landed atop a building. It fired its head-mounted guns at him and Eve, forcing the two of them into cover. After a few seconds, he fired an Incinerate at it, smacking it in the face but doing little damage.

"Hey, Commander!" Cure Sunny shouted. "I think you'll need something a little bigger than that! _PreCure: Sunny Fire BURNING!-!_"

A sizable torrent of flame shot out, engulfing the Harvester. The creature screeched as it burned, emerging from the magic-enhanced flames badly damaged. A Peace Thunder finished it off, and it keeled over, falling off the building as its power core exploded with enough force to blow its chest cavity open. By now, Wrex had come over to join Shepard and T'Lesh.

The next minute or so was hectic but one-sided, as the allied forces quickly cut down the remaining Husk forces, Asa's barrier ensuring there were no further civilian casualties. However, the Reaper vessel overhead began to act, turrets along its edges starting to warm. Just when it was about to try anything, however, a relativistic beam of molten metal came screaming in from the southeast, punching/burning clean through its unshielded hull. Explosions tore through the vessel, which began to 'list' in the air. The _Normandy II_ continued its high-speed approach, firing Javelin disruptor torpedoes that detonated with considerable force along the wounded enemy ship's side. Finally, something blew inside the Reaper transport ship, and it began to plummet, falling at an angle toward the nearby ocean.

"_And that's twice I've saved you guys like that_" Joker said over the radio.

"Good timing, Joker" Shepard replied.

"Shepard," EDI said as she came up, while Asa dispelled her barrier, "Jeff and I have found something. Reports indicate that similar transport ships have taken Lucavi prisoners from other locations around the globe, and using what remains of the satellite network, tapping into reconnaissance reports, as well as my own calculations, I have located their terminus point. It is on a sizable island in the northern ocean. There is a hastily-constructed Reaper facility there, and there is a signal emanating from within. We have seen this energy signal before, Shepard: in the heart of the Collector Base."

"Damn it" Shepard frowned. "They're not just kidnapping people to make Husks; they're 'harvesting'."

"You know what they're doing with the Lucavi they capture?" Eve asked.

"Yeah, I do. And you're not gonna like it…"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

_**Normandy II**_**, Deck Two, War Room**

"So let me get this straight" Eve said, hands braced forward on the edge of the holo-table. "Those things are trying to make a _Reaper_ out of my people?-!"

"It's how they make more of themselves" Shepard replied. "In specialized facilities, millions of individuals from a single species are 'processed', broken down by nanites into a genetic paste of sorts… while alive and conscious, screaming as their bodies melt into blood. The resultant genetic material is pumped into the core, which is built into a shell that superficially resembles the species it was made from. Once it's complete, the rest of the Reaper is constructed around it, ending with the familiar squid-like shape."

"We've seen it before" Garrus said. "Several months ago, in our Realm, the Reapers' pawns kidnapped the entire populations of outlying human colonies, tens of thousands of people. We found their base in the galactic core, and after fighting our way into the center, we found the embryonic 'Human Reaper'. We… watched as several colonists were 'processed' right in front of us, and barely got our ship's crew out before it happened to them, too. In the end, Shepard and Lanstar were able to destroy the 'embryonic' Reaper."

"_Dios Mio_…" James muttered. "Is… Is there anything we can do for them?"

"If they haven't been 'processed' yet, they can be rescued" Shepard replied. "But after that… no; there's nothing left of them. The only thing that can be done is kill the _thing_ they've been made into."

"We need to get in there" Miyuki said. "We have to rescue the people who haven't been 'processed' yet."

"Plus," Wrex added, "that base has probably been operating long enough that a 'Lucavi Reaper' is already growing. We'll need to kill it."

"Priority is getting the civilians out and wrecking the processing machinery" Shepard said. "We'll kill the baby Reaper if we can, but if it'd put the people at too much risk we'll get them out and call in an orbital strike once the Phoenix League gets here."

"Why do you pretend to care so much?" Eve remarked.

Shepard turned to her. "I don't 'pretend' to care! No matter the species, if people are in trouble I'll do everything I can to help them. …If I had been active 17 years ago or so, you can be damn sure I'd be helping bring down the Sol Confederacy; what they did to you and their other victims was sick. And I can assure you, I'm not the only human who thinks that way."

"Bastards deserved more than they got" James chimed in, a scowl on his face as he remembered reading the reports.

"How will we be getting into the facility?" Javik spoke up, getting the topic back on track.

EDI called up a hologram of the structure. "The structure is built into the shadow of the dormant volcano that formed the island" she said. "It is not large enough to house an adult Reaper Dreadnought; most likely the Reapers mean to progress the new Reaper's 'construction' to a certain point and then move it into orbit for completion."

"Or they're making a Destroyer out of the Lucavi instead of one of the big ones" James added.

"Either way, we can't let them finish" Shepard said. "We have to get the people out of there, and – if possible – put that thing down before it's finished. EDI will hack in and disable their auto-defenses, and we'll take a few teams in." He turned to Eve. "How are you with weapons besides your saber-staff?"

"Before the Confederacy got their claws on me," T'Lesh replied, "I was a scout marked for commando training. I'm 'proficient' with all weapons, with a commendation for marksman and sniping skills. Plus, if anything gets close I have my staff and my powers."

Shepard nodded. "We'll get you set up with an Omnitool and a long-range rifle, and maybe try and retrofit some kinetic-barrier projectors to your armor."

"I already have shields."

"Alright, then. Everyone get ready; we're all-in for this one."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

Two Kodiak shuttles, their stealth systems engaged, approached the isolated facility in the shadow of the mountain that dominated the 10km-wide island, flying under the thick and low cloud cover that hid the sky. The facility's auto-defenses had been hacked by EDI to receive false readings in the form of looped footage for their visual-spectrum scanners, while the shuttles' stealth systems took care of any other emissions on the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing them to approach undetected. The two craft set down on a Harvester landing pad near one of the base's upper entrance, dropping off the _Normandy_'s ground team along with Kaede, Asa, Eve T'Lesh, and the Smile Cures. They quickly and quietly made their way into the structure.

Inside, the familiar Reaper design style of sleek, curving black metal dominated. Thanks to a scan by the _Normandy II_, the team had a map of the facility; toward the center of the base, there was a circular chamber with connections to a much larger chamber below – most likely the location of 'processing pods' and the embryonic Reaper, respectively. They moved out along the only available hallway, Cure Sunny and James taking point while Wrex and Kal'Reegar brought up the rear. A little ways in, the pathway widened somewhat, allowing the group to not be so bunched up. Suddenly a trio of Husks emerged right in front of the group; two were immediately blasted by James and Sunny, and the third fell to a pistol headshot from Shepard.

"Well," the Commander said, "they know we're here now."

After a few more minutes of travel unmolested, passing a handful of empty side passages, they came to a large locked door. EDI got to work on it, and several seconds later, as if summoned by that, a pack of Husks emerged from the side passages around and behind the group. Wrex, Kal, James, and Sunny used their shotguns to cut down on the attackers' numbers, and Liara tossed out a Singularity that snatched four Husks up, leaving them exposed and helpless to Javik's particle rifle and Garrus' Phaeston. EDI got the door open, and the heroes moved on.

The trek deeper into the facility continued in this pattern for the most part, moving down scarcely-populated corridors and then holding the line against Husk rushes while EDI, Garrus, or Shepard opened the doors. Finally, after a good while of traveling and fighting, they arrived in a circular central chamber, not very high but quite large in diameter. Lining the perimeter of the room were hundreds of pods, around half of them occupied by Lucavi; scans showed they were sedated, but alive. As the team walked into the center of the room, there was a sudden clank and hiss from the pipes and machines connected to the pods.

"Damn it!" Garrus said, eyes widening. "They're about to be processed! There's no way we'll get them all out in time!"

Gasping softly, Eve then got a determined look on her face. She reached her arms out, her magical and psionic/Force power gathering. Her eyes glowed red, followed by her hands and the lines of her armor, as her hair floated upward like she were in water. The doors of all the pods began to rattle and shake, and then with a harsh cry she swept her arms inward, and every occupied pod's door was Force-Pulled off, shutting the pods down and freeing their occupants. Panting heavily, Eve began to tip forward, only for Cure Happy to catch her. The 'corrupted' Lucavi looked in mild surprise at the genuine concerned expression on the young human's face, as Happy led her over to a protrusion from the floor to sit down on.

"Impressive" Javik remarked.

"It was" Shepard added. "Good work, T'Lesh."

Over the next several minutes, Javik and EDI watched the doors and Eve caught her breath while everyone else checked on the now-awake civilians (with Eve warily watching Shepard and the other humans as they did, still not trusting them). Once everyone was determined to be alright, more or less, it was time to get moving again.

"The Cures, Shigure, and EDI will get the civilians out of here" Shepard ordered. "The rest of us will go downstairs and kill the Reaper embryo."

As the exfiltration group proceeded to escort the civilians out, Shepard led everyone else down a long circular flight of stairs. At the bottom, they emerged into the massive central chamber beneath the pod room. And, hanging from support struts in the middle of the chamber was a large construct, looking like a partially complete giant metal skull attached to part of a spinal cord, a few ribs that hadn't quite yet met in the front, and upper arms that terminated at the elbows. A glowing core was in the center of its chest, where the heart would be.

"Spirits…" Garrus breathed out.

"That… _thing_ is made out of my people?" Eve asked, a slight tremor in her voice.

"It's not quite as far along in development as the one I encountered in the Collector Base" Shepard observed. "Hopefully it won't wake up and attack us like that one did."

"So how do we kill it?" Wrex asked.

"…Let's try unloading everything we have on the core, all at once" Shepard suggested. "Shoot it with our biggest guns and our biggest blasts at the same time."

After a moment's preparation, a short but very powerful barrage was loosed – a charged Warp and an Incinerate blast from Shepard, two concentrated explosive 'shells' of Biotic energy from Liara and Javik, Carnage shots from Wrex and James, full-auto armor-piercing fire from Kal'Reegar, and to top it all off, charged and powerful blasts of _ki_ and magic from Kaede and Eve. They all struck the proto-Reaper's vulnerable core at the same time, the multiple explosions blowing the core apart. The embryo briefly came online, its eyes glowing faintly, but then they went out, the creature slumping lifelessly as its systems failed. Shepard then turned his sniper rifle on the tubes connected to its incomplete arms, shooting them. Without their support, the dead proto-Reaper broke free and plummeted into the pit below.

"We'll call in an orbital strike on this facility once one is available," Shepard said, "just in case. For now, let's get the hell out of here."

They made their way out of the facility, catching up with the civilians and escort near the exit. All of them were present and accounted for, mulling about on the rocky ground outside the facility.

"Joker, this is Shepard. We've killed the proto-Reaper and rescued the civilians; have the Tripartate send a few ships to pick them up."

"_Aye-aye, Commander; they're on their way._"

"I can't believe we actually saved them all…" Liara said. "This is fantastic."

The Commander turned as Eve T'Lesh walked up to him.

"I still despise your species for what they did to me, human," she said, "but… you saved a lot of my people here today. Whatever else happens, I… I have to thank you for that, regardless of the bad taste doing so leaves in my mouth."

He smiled. "I understand. I know that means a lot coming from you. Leaving these people to their fates wasn't an option for me; I can't stand by and let that sort of thing happen to innocents if I can do something about it."

"Let's hope the ships get here soon" James said. "Having all these people out in the open like this is kinda…"

"We'll all be fine" Cure March replied. "Now we just have t-"

"**SHEPARD.**"

The sudden voice, impossibly loud and impossibly deep, rattling the bones of those who heard it, echoed from above. Through the low clouds, a massive shape descended, setting down a few kilometers away on the island. It was a fourth again the size of a normal Reaper Dreadnought, blue-hued 'running lights' along its body, and six glowing blue eyes gazed balefully right at the group, focusing on a particular human. It – He – was quickly recognized.

"Venator…" Shepard scowled.

"**YOU ARE… LESS IMPOSING THAN LORD HARBINGER MADE YOU SOUND**" the Command-subtype Reaper spoke, its voice rumbling the earth itself. "**NEVERTHELESS, THE OBSTACLE YOU POSE WAS MADE QUITE CLEAR TO US. I HAD A SUSPICION YOU WOULD FIND A WAY TO INTERFERE SOMEHOW.**"

"Whatever you're planning here, it won't work. We've already destroyed the Reaper you were growing here."

"**WE WILL SIMPLY CONSTRUCT ANOTHER, AFTER YOU ARE DEALT WITH AND CANNOT INTERFERE AGAIN.**"

"Not if I can help it" Eve snarled.

"…**AN ORGANIC TOUCHED BY THE POWER OF PRIMUS' WAYWARD SON. INTRIGUING… BUT YOU CANNOT STOP US. NO ORGANIC CAN, REGARDLESS OF WHAT ABILITIES THEY WIELD.**"

The five Smile Cures stepped up, beside T'Lesh.

"Everyone," Cure Happy said, "get to cover. We'll do what we can here."

"**YOU PRESUME TO THINK YOURSELVES CAPABLE OF STANDING AGAINST ME? I AM ONE OF LORD HARBINGER'S OLDEST GENERALS; I HAVE FOUGHT AND PURGED AT HIS COMMAND SINCE A MERE THREE CYCLES AFTER HE CAME INTO BEING.**"

"We fought and killed something with a final form big enough to _eat_ a Reaper whole!" Cure Sunny shouted. "We beat Pierrot, and we'll beat you!"

"**CONFIDENCE BORN OF IGNORANCE. IT WILL BE GRATIFYING SILENCING YOU…**"

As the six girls stood their ground, gathering their energies, everyone else had gotten into hiding.

"Are they completely _loco_?-!" James said. "They're gonna take on a Sovereign-class _on foot_?-!"

Staring up at the massive Reaper, the girls felt a bit of nervousness and fear, but quashed it. Eve looked at her unlikely allies, then nodded and focused her conviction.

"I have an old, powerful arcane spell that might let us win this," she told them, "but I'll need time to charge enough power to use it. Can you humans buy me that time?"

"We will do our best" Cure Beauty replied.

Venator lifted one of his tentacle-legs and pointed it at the girls. They scattered as a dull-red beam of heat faded into visibility, burning a line down where they'd been standing. As he watched from cover, Shepard recognized the secondary weapon that Sovereign had used many of against Alliance ships during the Battle of the Citadel; Venator wasn't even using his main gun yet. March and Sunny fired a few charged attacks, but the distance meant they took a little while to hit Venator, and the Reaper's armor and shields barely even noticed the hits; he hadn't even bothered to move out of the way. A Peace Thunder to one of his six massive optics got much the same (lack of) reaction.

"**NOT EVEN ENOUGH TO BE IRRITATING…**"

Another beam was fired from Venator's secondary weapon, with Cure March using her super-speed to get herself and Cure Happy out of the way. Eve continued charging power, hoping the titan didn't notice what she was doing. The super-Reaper sent out a deep horn-like bass blast, and in response Husks emerged from the nearby base, charging toward the girls. Cure Beauty unleashed a wide wave of Ice magic that froze a good number of Husks, and a _Sagitta Magica_ barrage from Cure Happy shattered them. Cannibals and a few Marauders fired their guns as they ran forward, and March & Peace focused on them, the latter zapping their shields and systems and the former using her super-speed for crushing lightning-fast physical blows. A Brute charged at Cure Sunny, who focused her super-strength and, dodging a claw swipe at her head, lashed out with a blow that caved the monster's chest in, sending it flying a good distance.

Another near-infrared laser cut across the ground, narrowly avoiding Beauty & Happy. After dealing with the rest of the Husks, the girls returned their attention to Venator, firing a few more long-range attacks that did virtually nothing. By this point, the head of Eve's staff was glowing increasingly bright with crimson light, her power continuing to gather. Unfortunately, Venator finally noticed she was up to something. There was a building red light from the area at the center of the tentacles, and then a bright red 'beam' of relativistic-speed molten metal shot out, cutting a burning line across the ground as it swept upward right toward Eve. The Lucavi cursed as she teleported to the side, having to use a little portion of the stored power to do so.

'I've got about two-thirds of what I need!' she sent telepathically to the Smile Cures. 'Keep him busy!'

Miyuki fired a Happy Shower Shining, the large bright-pink wave of energy striking Venator's 'face'. Venator started charging another shot, but a Peace Thunder Hurricane struck the main gun, the enchanted lightning shorting it out and forcing it to shut down temporarily while auto-repairs corrected, making the Reaper rumble in annoyance. The secondary weapon was brought up again (Venator could only lift and fire one 'leg' at a time or else he'd fall over), and fired at Cure Peace, who barely avoided being scorched. Leapers and Marauders emerged from the base, heading for the girls, but then sniper rounds started cutting them down as Shepard and Garrus pitched in from afar. The reduced and scattered numbers were then easy pickings for Sunny and Beauty.

Finally, Eve T'Lesh finished charging power. She took position, and a large red magic rune-circle formed on the ground with her standing at the center. She twirled and waved her staff in certain ways, each motion making more component symbols appear in the rune, growing in complexity. Venator, his main gun operational again, started charging it, looking right at her. Soon, the rune was complete, and a bright red glow emitted from Eve's eyes, the lines along her armor, and the head of her staff. Just as Venator fired, the 'beam' cutting its way across the ground toward her, she swung her staff forward. She felt something 'catch', and then began pulling back on the staff with visible effort. The beam of molten metal abruptly cut off when it was less than 30 meters from her, and Venator let out a bass rumble, moving as if trying to brace himself against something. Eve groaned through clenched teeth as she pulled harder on her staff, looking almost like someone trying to reel in a particularly big fish. Finally, with a pulse of power and a cry of triumph, she yanked the staff all the way back. Instantly a huge cloud of bluish miasma was seen being ripped free from Venator's body, particularly his optics. After it was all out, the Reaper's eyes lost their light. Eve collapsed to her knees, panting heavily.

"What… did you just do?" Cure Happy asked as she and the others gathered near.

"It's… hah… a spell I discovered… during my travels…" Eve replied, speaking between pants and gasps for breath. "It's meant to… forcefully draw out a creature's… essence… their 'astral presence'… so it can be attacked directly… It's useful for… taking out really big… demons and the like… But Reapers… they don't really _have_ that… Because of how they're made… how they are… their essences are… composed of the essence of millions of individuals… and when they're ripped free they disperse… Basically, this spell… can kill a Reaper… I can only use it once every… couple of days, though…"

Suddenly, the bluish miasma floating in the air stopped dispersing. Instead, it began rushing inward, coalescing at a spot across the flat rocky plain that the girls were on. Eve stared in shock.

"This… This can't be!" she said. "I've used this spell on three Reapers since this whole war started, and they all ceased to be as the collective essences dispersed! How can Venator… How can he have an astral presence? The others… He's not a normal Reaper!"

"**THAT MUCH SHOULD HAVE BEEN OBVIOUS…**"

Venator's deep and loud voice, now possessing an ethereal echo, came from the thing that the extracted essence had formed into. It was around 130-150 feet across, a spherical bluish-white 'mass' of astral substance floating about 40 feet off the ground, with two crossing rings of energy encircling it.

"**SERVANT OF PRIMUS' FALLEN SON, YOU ARE A MORE SERIOUS THREAT THAN I INITIALLY CONSIDERED. YOU MUST PERISH, HERE AND NOW, BEFORE YOU CAN DISRUPT THE CYCLE ANY FURTHER.**"

"We won't allow that!" Cure Happy shouted. "T'Lesh-san has had too much suffering in her life; we won't let you take away the chance for her to have a better life! And we won't let you harvest anyone else, either! The 'cycle' will be stopped!"

Eve stared in shock. 'She… She can't mean that… A human wouldn't say…'

"This is it, Venator!" Cure March joined in. "We're shutting you down!"

"**THE TIME FOR TALK IS PASSED. …RUDIMENTARY CREATURES OF BLOOD AND FLESH, YOU WILL BE RETURNED TO THE DUST WHENCE YOU CAME.**"

The constantly-shifting bluish sphere turned red around its edges, and a crimson beam of energy fired from the center. The girls scattered to avoid it as it swept through the air, trying to catch them. When the beam cut out, the group counterattacked; Eve and Cure Happy fired a wave of red and pink magic bolts, while Cure March used _Fūton: Shinkū Renpa_ and Cure Beauty fired her sniper rifle. The bullet passed right through Venator's form like it wasn't even there, while March's slicing wind waves were completely ineffective, but Eve and Happy's attacks crashed against the sphere, which let out a low rumble.

"Astral-form entities like this are completely immune to weapons fire, Biotics, and chakra-based attacks!" Eve called out. "Only magic can hurt them!"

"Good thing that's our main method of attack, then" Cure Peace replied.

The Venator-sphere fired two waves of bluish-black energy bolts that arced outward and then curved in to attack the girls from all directions. Cure March cast _Aeroza_, the wide-range high-tier Wind-type barrier deflecting some of the blasts, while a red-hued dome shield cast by T'Lesh stopped the rest. A March Shooter and Happy Shower struck Venator, harming him slightly and also distracting him as Cures Peace and Beauty synchronized their magical energies. After several seconds, they attacked:

"_PreCure: Frozen Bolts!_"

Ice and Lightning magic combined as a barrage of electrified ice spears, the double elemental-magic attack striking Venator's astral body. The magic ice spears stuck into the living essence, discharging their stored voltage and then exploding in a burst of sharp shards. There was an echoing, wavering bass note from the entity, and then the two angled rings of glowing white surrounding it began to spin. After a few seconds, once they were spinning fairly rapidly, their glow brightened and a veritable storm of energy bolts 'spun off' from them. Cure Beauty pulled out a tiny jewel of sorts and set it into her Smile Pact, and Eve watched in bafflement as what looked like a giant umbrella materialized… and, to her astonishment, successfully blocked the entire barrage of energy bolts, protecting the group before then dispelling in a burst of magic sparks. While this was happening, Cures Sunny and March had been charging their energies together, and now they launched their power as a combined green and red orb of magical energy. It sailed toward Venator…

"_PreCure: Blaze Tornado!_"

…and detonated into a whirling column of wind and fire that engulfed the energy being. After several seconds, the powerful magical fire-whirlwind dispersed, revealing Venator's astral form looking scorched as it 'wobbled' a little in the air. Then it let out a sort of mechanical 'roar', its edges tinting red. A point of crimson light built up in front of it, and fired as a large and lethal beam of energy. The girls barely got out of the way, their outfits scorched just from the proximity. As Venator followed up with another wave of energy blasts, Cure Happy stood beside Eve, already beginning to charge bright-pink energy into her pulled-back hands, while Eve held her staff out as red energy converged at the tip. After several seconds they fired, pink and red beams corkscrewing around each other and slamming into Venator's form, the raw magical energy blasting away at the floating blue orb. With a sound like shattering glass but lower, the two rings broke apart and disintegrated, and the blue orb that was Venator's essence wavered in the air.

"**THIS IS LUDICROUS. I HAVE HARVESTED AND KILLED FOR OVER ONE BILLION OF YOUR YEARS; A GROUP OF CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HARM ME!**"

"We're not just kids" Cure Sunny replied. "We're PreCure!"

"Nothing is unbeatable!" Cure Peace said. "Not even your kind!"

"The nightmare _will_ end!" Cure Happy shouted. "The Reapers _will_ fall! We _will_ beat you all, and live in peace! Your era is going to come to a close, Venator…" In bursts of multi-colored light, she and the four others summoned candle-like batons with pegasus-themed grips. "With us, and our friends, and Shepard, and everyone else, the Cycle will finally be over!"

[AN: Using _romaji_/Engrish transliteration instead of straight English at the end because… well, "_Baasuto_" is better when 'stretched out' than "Burst" is; also, am changing the dialogue a little]

(MUSIC: _Smile PreCure OST 2 Track 29 – _"Royal Rainbow Burst")

Everything burst into colorful lights as the five girls stood together, holding their staffs aloft with the tips together.

"_Royal Queen, Watashi-tachi ni chikara o! _(Royal Queen, grant your power to us!)"

(0:15)

Lights of pink, red, yellow, green, and blue surrounded the quintet. Their outfits changed, becoming a beautiful shining white tinted faintly with their respective main colors. The skirts lengthened into waist-length capes, the bows at the center of their chests lengthened and became glittering white, shining gold earrings formed on their ears, their hair shone and lengthened, tiaras with colored gems and wing-like protrusions manifested atop their heads, and a sort of thin golden halo formed over Cure Happy's head.

(0:24)

"_Princess Happy!_"

"_Princess Sunny!_"

"_Princess Peace!_"

"_Princess March!_"

"_Princess Beauty!_"

The girls leapt high as five beams of pink, red, gold, green, and blue light shot out from beneath them, forming into five spectral pegasus steeds that 'posed' behind and around the girls as they did.

"_PreCure: Princess Form!_"

(0:45)

In a flash of golden light, a pink and white object formed, dominated by a colorful clock-face on the front.

"_Hiraké! Royal Clock!_ (Open! Royal Clock!)"

Cure Happy traced her finger around the clock-face's circumference, a musical chime accompanying the motion.

"_Minna no chikara hitotsu ni suru!_ (Make everyone's powers as one!)"

She pressed down on the pink gem atop the Royal Clock, and two golden 'hands' appeared on the clock-face, spinning a full revolution and stopping at the 12. A brilliant golden light shone from the device, and the specter of a phoenix was briefly visible. The area appeared to become a mass of stars of all colors of the rainbow.

(1:04)

"_Todoké! Kibō no hikari!_ (Deliver! The light of hope!)

At Happy's call, the girls flew atop their spectral steeds, tracing a pattern in the 'stars'.

"_Habataké! Hikari kagayaku mirai é! _(Fly! Into the future shining bright!)

The traced pattern formed the vague constellation-outline of a massive bird, and the girls flew through it, being encased in a golden glow as they zipped forward in formation.

"_PRECURE: REINBOOOOOO…_"

(1:25)

"_BAASUTOOOOO!-!-!_"

As the five girls thrust their staffs forward, a gigantic spectral phoenix made of golden flames formed, letting out a beautiful yet fearsome cry as it clutched a glowing point of light in its beak. It thrusted its head forward, and fired a massive surging beam of destructive magical power, looking like brilliant white flames tinted with all the colors of the rainbow. The blue sphere that was Venator fired its own crimson beam of energy that met the Royal Rainbow Burst halfway, but after only a few seconds of struggle the rainbow beam won out, punching through the Astral-Reaper's final attack and surging forward. The beam engulfed Venator's essence-form, and the billion-year-old entity was completely obliterated in less than a full second.

(1:48)

Cure Happy spun her staff with a flourish. "_Kagayaké! _(Shine!)"

"_ETERNAL SMILE!-!_"

A final, sparkling explosion erupted from where Venator had been, annihilating what little remained of the entity.

(END)

As the starry backdrop faded, Venator's Reaper body lost all of its light. The ancient construct, already starting to crumple under its own weight as its mass-effect field shut down, toppled lifelessly over to the side, landing with a mighty splash in the ocean nearby, as the rescued Lucavi civilians cheered.

"I'll be damned…" James muttered, looking on in awe. "They actually did it…"

"Multiple slipspace ruptures detected" EDI suddenly announced. "A large Phoenix League fleet has just arrived; they are already firing everything they've got at the Reapers. Dropships and orbital-drop pods are inbound to the surface."

"_Commander!_" Joker radioed. "_I don't know what you guys just did down there, but between that and the reinforcements that just arrived, the Reapers are bugging out! They're falling back toward the warp-rift!_"

As this announcement set off a new wave of celebration among the rescued civilians, Shepard headed down to where the Cures and Eve were. The five magical girls had de-transformed from slight exhaustion, but the victorious grins on their faces spoke volumes. Eve T'Lesh made to slip away, but when she turned she found herself face to face with Shepard only a few meters away.

"You did great, T'Lesh" he said. "We couldn't have done any of this without you. …You're intelligent, you're powerful, you're courageous, you're able to keep your calm in bad situations… and you went out of your way to save and protect innocent people, as well as providing vital help in taking down a Reaper. …That's the sort of person who'd be perfect for my team. I know you have grievances with humanity, but we sure could use your help against the rest of the Reapers. What do you say?"

Eve was quiet as she contemplated. Memories came to her – Shepard trying to reason with her on Al-Hazred, him showing such concern for her people and saying how he helped anyone who needed it regardless of species, Cure Happy supporting her after she exhausted herself…

'This guy…' she thought, looking at Shepard. 'It's almost like he actually _means_ what he says…'

"…Fine" she said. "I still don't trust you, human, but… until the Reapers are dealt with, they're a threat to my race, to _everyone_… Until then, I'll… *sigh* I'll join your team."

The Commander smiled and gave a little nod.

"Glad to hear it" he replied.

'Humans are, as a rule, vile beings…' she thought. 'But… I suppose there are always a couple of exceptions to every rule… We'll see if that holds true here… Shepard.'

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Because "BURRRRST!" sounds lame.

Next Time: Shepard finds an 'old friend' he met on Noveria, who has managed to get herself caught up in trouble once again…


	12. The Tunnels Below

I'm currently in the middle of my first (and hopefully only) Insanity playthrough of the trilogy. At the moment I've just finished _ME1_, but once I get to the second & third games (_especially_ the third one) I am going to use them to correct earlier chapters of this that have missing dialogue (for lack of a better term); for instance, I remember reading somewhere that James has unique dialogue when meeting Grunt in this mission, but I can't find it anywhere on YouTube, so in my ME3 Insanity playthrough I'll do the Rachni mission with James & Javik. However, depending on how things go my playthrough of _ME3_ might end up 'pulling ahead' of my work on this story, which would unfortunately probably cause the same problem to pick up again until an eventual future playthrough. Also, Kaidan's lines in this fic may be… lacking due to my playthrough being one with Ashley; months from now, I plan to do a 'romance Liara, save Kaidan' playthrough of the trilogy, and when I do that I'll be able to expand upon his dialogue in this Book.

Also, I will be rewriting the _Edo Tensei_ chapter of Book 21 eventually, because A) Obito has died a good guy, and B) research into background material has let me discover Saren was a complete bastard even before Sovereign got its tentacles on him.

Also-also, I have discovered _Kill La Kill_; a future Book may be possible.

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Realm ME-N7**

Commander Shepard walked through the Engineering deck of the _Normandy II_, hearing the quiet light bickering between two familiar crewmembers; Engineers Kenneth Donnelly and Gabriel Daniels had been quietly snatched up for protection from the Systems Alliance by the UNSC when Shepard had gone to 'park' the _Normandy_ on Earth for a couple months, and when the ship had returned to this Realm, the _Forward Unto Dawn_ had been waiting to drop Ken & Gabby off with him at their request before then jumping out to tend to other matters. At the same time, Kaede and Asa had transferred out, rejoining their respective teams (who were _very_ surprised to learn that the two had begun reconciliation).

As he passed through, Shepard headed down the side stairs into the storage area beneath Engineering, the area small and cramped and lit by a couple red lights. A small bed had been set up in the corner, and his newest team-member was seated on it, currently wearing a dull-red shirt and loose black pants instead of her armor. He was briefly struck by how young she actually was; apparently her aging had frozen at 16 thanks to some facet of her powers, leaving her with a developed yet petite built, no taller than 5'4". She looked up from the datapad she'd been reading.

"What do you want, human?" she asked.

"Just checking in on you" Shepard replied. "How are you settling in?"

"I'm fine."

"You know, you don't have to live in this pit."

"I like it here. It's out of the way, so there aren't too many people passing through. And I've always been comfortable in dark, small spaces; when I was three, my big sister Semira once found me asleep in a cupboard."

Shepard smiled, but then the familiar name came to him. "Wait… Semira T'Lesh? She's your older sister?"

"Yes…" Eve replied. "How do you know her?"

"She was the commanding officer of one of the ships that helped us take out the Collector Base around half a year ago – the _Ebony Midnight_, a supercarrier."

Eve's eyes widened. "Semira's captaining an _Eclipse_-class? I wasn't aware…"

"Have you talked to her lately?"

Eve scowled. "What can I say? I love her, but she's apparently thrown her lot in with you _humans_, as part of the DDF. She'd probably start trying to convince me to just 'let go' of what those _monsters_ did to me…"

"You really should talk to her; if it's been nearly two decades since you spoke before the Sol Confederacy nabbed you and then you struck out on your own, she's probably worried sick about you."

Eve looked pensive and a bit annoyed for a few seconds, but then she sighed. "All right…" she relented. "The next chance I get, I'll go talk with her. I _have_ been missing her…"

"_Attention ground-team members, this is Urdnot Wrex. There's been a bit of a development. If you could hurry up to the War Room at your earliest convenience, I'll explain. That is all._"

"Come on" Shepard said. "Let's go see what Wrex wants."

Several minutes later, everyone had gathered in the War Room. The old red-armored Krogan stood at one end, calling attention.

"Okay," he said, "first off is a history lesson for those of you not caught up on certain things. Three years ago, we and Shepard encountered a Rachni Queen on Noveria. Turns out, the Rachni who attacked the Citadel worlds a couple millennia ago were actually indoctrinated by the Reapers; they were the Reapers' 'Plan B' after the Protheans sabotaged the Keeper command signal. This Queen wasn't indoctrinated, and promised to leave and go live in peace if Shepard let her live. Which he did. Now… One of my squads has gone missing. They were scouting out the Rachni Relay; we've heard rumors of trouble in the area. Shepard… I have a favor to ask. It's big."

"Don't tell me they're causing trouble again…" the Commander said.

"I don't know. All I know for sure is our scouts went silent as soon as they arrived. I've got Aralakh Company, my best unit, on standby. You give the word, and they'll meet you there."

"We'll get right on it" Shepard replied, and then called up the comm. "Joker, set course for the Ninmah Cluster."

"_Rachni Space? Uh, right away, Commander._"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Ninmah Cluster, Mulla Xul System, Utukku**

**SCAN: **"_Although _**_Utukku_**_ is habitable, extreme temperatures and violent weather have discouraged colonization. Because the planet has little liquid water to retain heat, surface temperatures regularly oscillate between 70 C to -60 C. Utukku's vegetation is notable for having evolved flexible central stalks to survive high-speed winds as well as leathery leaves to shrug off the planet's frequent sandstorms. Animal life is mostly confined to the planet's small oceans. Utukku has few valuable minerals._"

Two small craft descended through the planet's atmosphere. The UT-47A Kodiak carried Shepard, James, Liara, and Eve T'Lesh, while the odd orange & green craft flying beside it was piloted by its owner Samus Aran, finally joining in the war against Reaper forces after finishing off a stubborn Space Pirate stronghold back in her Realm.

"Have we learned anything, Shepard?" Liara asked.

"Our backup is waiting for us at the drop point" the Commander replied. "Aralakh Company – Krogan commandos."

"Yes, I've heard of them. They're quite the accomplished unit, famous for liberating a colony from Batarian pirates."

"Good to hear. Other than that, there's been no word from a team of Krogan scouts since they went through the Rachni Relay."

"I still can't believe you let a Rachni Queen go…" James chimed in.

"The Rachni who attacked the galaxy were under Reaper control; this Queen isn't. She's on my side, and even if she weren't she wouldn't risk extinction by starting another war."

The two vessels set down beside a prefab structure in the canyon, with Samus and Team Shepard disembarking. A squad of Krogans was already present, being directed by a certain white-armored Krogan.

"Grunt?" Shepard asked in surprise.

"Shepard!" Grunt called out, a big grin as he ran over to his old friend and good-naturedly slapped him on the back.

"What are you doing here?" Shepard said with a grin of his own.

"I could ask you the same question. Didn't those idiots ground you?"

"They kept me on Earth helping with little things in order to keep the Batarians off me – didn't want problems while they prepared for war. But the situation changed."

"Yeah, they got bigger problems, all right. It's why I'm out here running Aralakh Company. They're tough, think they're invincible; reckless, but effective."

"Sounds familiar, Grunt. How did you go from being new & unproven to having your own command?"

"It wasn't easy. When Wrex put Aralakh Company together, he needed a leader who represented the future of our species. Thanks to you, I completed my Rite of Passage on Tuchanka and became part of Clan Urdnot. I was an equal. And being the strongest, I was chosen to lead this honored company."

"I bet some didn't like a 'tank-bred' Krogan being in charge."

"I collected a few scars earning my place here. These Krogans respect me."

Shepard smirked. "You were a pain in the ass, Grunt, but if your Krogans are half the soldier you are, we might make it out here."

"Glad you're here to crack some heads, Shepard. Hard to believe this might be Rachni. Seems crazy." He looked up into the sky. "The Rachni…" he growled with anticipation. "A chance to face the old enemy? Impossible to resist!"

"We don't know if the Rachni had anything to do with this. We're here to find the scouts. I didn't see any signs of activity during our approach."

"Agreed. But this place smells wrong, like a bad wound. Our scans show the tunnels down there lead to a large central point. If we're lucky, it's a nest."

"_Hoping_ to have to fight a horde of giant bug monsters?" Eve T'Lesh spoke up. "You have an odd definition of 'lucky'."

"Heh, heh, heh…" Grunt turned to his black-armored soldiers. "Aralakh Company, move out! Shepard, grab what you need and meet me at the scout camp ahead."

As the Krogans headed onward, Team Shepard looked around the area but found nothing of interest, and started following in the Krogans' wake.

"He is… strong" Eve said. "Just in general, he feels like he's 'more' than most Krogans."

"Grunt was genetically engineered using DNA from various accomplished historical Krogan warlords" Shepard replied. "And half a year ago, when he and I took on the Urdnot Clan's Rite of Passage, we actually managed to _kill_ the Thresher Maw they threw at us instead of just surviving for five minutes like we were supposed to; no-one since Wrex had done that. Grunt is something special.

"You guys took down a Maw on foot?" James asked, shocked. "Damn, you're supposed to need _tanks_ to bring one down!"

"What's a Thresher Maw?" the young Lucavi asked.

"It's a species of huge subterranean lithovores & carnivores" Liara replied. "They are massive worm-like creatures which grow throughout their lives depending on available resources and space; they live for centuries, if not millennia, and the 'average' size of an adult Thresher is around 90-100 meters, two-thirds of which never leaves the ground. They mainly consume ores and metals, as well as subsisting on an odd form of photosynthesis, but they are also able – and quite willing – to consume meat if they get the chance. They are very durable, very territorial, can move underground with frightening speed, and can fire blasts of an extremely powerful acid capable of eating through tank armor. Standard procedure for Thresher Maws is to take them on with heavy anti-vehicle weaponry, tanks, or even an airstrike, and even with all that, casualties are still expected."

"Damn" Samus spoke up. "Sounds like a Maw would be a hellishly difficult fight even for me. And if I encountered more than one…"

"You're not likely to" Liara said. "Thresher Maws are extremely territorial; you'll rarely find more than three to six on the average planet. Tuchanka, the Krogan homeworld, has a much higher population density of them due to being the Maws' evolutionary homeworld as well, but they still give each other adequate space that you won't run into more than one at the same time."

By this point, the team had reached the scout camp; Aralakh Company loitered about, with Grunt watching over them.

"Grunt, anything on the scouting party?" Shepard asked.

The white-armored Krogan looked over at a massive pit bordering the scouts' camp. "It looks like something dropped half their camp down a hole" he said. "Their shuttle must've been lost as well. They weren't going anywhere. …Doesn't matter. We're here to find the Rachni and burn them out."

"Did Warlord Okeer imprint anything about the Rachni during your creation?"

"Okeer ensured I knew of the Rachni. They are respected as an enemy. Everyone thought they were dead, defeated by the Krogans. You proved that wrong. If they're here, my blood demands they die."

"So, what did you do after we split up after Ulnar?"

"I spent most of my time back on Tuchanka, learning what it was to be Krogan. In the lab where I was created, the lessons were like fighting with practice weapons. They had no bite, no impact. I needed the blood and pain. I made mistakes, but I learned."

"Tell me more about this Company."

"Aralakh means 'eye of wrath'. We are named after the fierce Tuchanka sun. Wrex hand-picked us from different clans to show a united Krogan race. We were sent because we're the strongest."

"Good to know. Now, let's get going."

"Finally! Right behind you, Shepard."

Team Shepard moved into a prefab structure sitting on the edge of the pit, planning to climb down through an opening in it. However, as they neared the edge, the structure abruptly lurched, the rock beneath it giving way as its balance shifted. The quintet could only hold on as the entire structure went over the edge, falling a few hundred feet into the bottom of the pit. Shepard was ejected from the structure upon 'landing', rolling to a stop. He struggled to his feet, dusting himself off. A quick check ensured that the others had survived the trip as well.

"Shepard!" Grunt called out from the rim of the hole far above. "You in one piece?"

"We're all okay!" Shepard shouted back. "Keep in radio contact!"

"On our way!"

As they moved into the tunnel, they readied their weapons – Shepard and Liara drew their SMGs, James checked his assault rifle, Eve's staff glowed a faint red as she channeled a bit of power through it, and Samus switched her arm cannon to Plasma Beam mode. A little ways into the cave, they came across a Krogan corpse, covered in wounds.

"Grunt, got a body of a scout here" Shepard said. "Been dead a few days."

"_Yeah? If he has his weapon, grab it. He won't need it anymore._"

Shepard reached behind the body, and found a flamethrower, its fuel tank nearly fully loaded. Picking it up, he used it to burn through a few sheets of what looked like webbing as the team advanced further. Deeper in the cave, luminescent crystals provided some lighting. As they climbed up some rocks, they came upon sets of pods about a foot high in clusters on the floor. Curious, Shepard fired a brief pulse from the flamethrower, and the pod burst open in a splash of acid. When he took a step towards the other pods, the two closest to him also burst, forcing him to jump back.

"Careful" he said. "Watch your step."

After another minute or so of sneaking past acid-pods and burning through webs, the team came into a large chamber, lit fairly brightly by an abundance of glowing crystals. As they dropped into the main area of the chamber, a new threat emerged from a higher entrance point on the other side: two large, quadrupedal creatures, their bodies bearing the dull silver and glowing blue of Husks, carrying multiple bulbous orange sacs on their bodies, as well as a pair of small cannons mounted on their tops. The two creatures screeched as they spotted Team Shepard, and started firing their cannons, as human-Husks emerged from around them.

Shepard and the others rushed into cover, with James leaning out and firing his assault rifle at the approaching Husks. Eve lashed out with a concentrated burst of force that slammed two Husks into the cave wall, while Liara's SMG and Samus' Plasma-Beam shots helped to cull the cyber-zombies' numbers. Eve then pulled out the M97 Viper she'd taken along for this mission, aiming at the creature on the left and firing a few rounds. The bullets impacted the monster's armored hide, doing some damage, but the creature shrieked and fired its cannons to force Eve back into cover. Shepard readied his N7 Valiant and fired his own shots at it, the heavier and faster rounds of his rifle punching deeper into the beast's hide. At the same time, Samus started firing charged Plasma-Beam shots at the other one, while Liara hit it with a Warp to further the damage. The creature keeled over, Biotic energy and superheated plasma-fire beginning to break down its corpse. Eve and Shepard focused fire on the first one, and a Carnage shot from James finished the job.

"Those weren't Rachni anymore, Shepard" Liara said. "The Reapers have altered them."

"Grunt," Shepard said over the comm., "presence of Rachni Husks is confirmed. The Reapers already have their tentacles on them."

"_Acknowledged. Nothing here yet. Lost a Krogan to a sinkhole; bad way to go._"

"Just got a Codex update" Samus spoke up. "The Reapers must've already shipped some of them offworld, because someone out there has already encountered these things and made an entry for them. They're being called 'Ravagers'."

**CODEX – RAVAGER: **"_Ravagers are former Rachni that the Reapers have transformed into heavy artillery through a process of implantation and genetic modification. As walking organic turrets, they can sustain and inflict considerable damage. Ravagers bear egg sacs that continuously spawn Swarmers. If the sacs are destroyed, either during combat or upon the Ravager's death, their entire contents burst forth to charge the enemy and explode on contact. A dead Ravager expels a caustic gas and an acidic puddle. Alliance scientists have theorized that it is easiest for the Reapers to maintain control over units of Rachni genetic extraction because of the species' neurological predisposition for hive-mind consensus._"

Making their way across the chamber, they moved through where the Ravagers had come from, soon coming across a sealed door of Reaper design. Looking around, Shepard spotted another 'web' and torched it, revealing a small chamber containing a sort of 'node' of machinery connected by cables to the gate. Samus wrecked it with a charged Plasma Beam shot, and the door opened to reveal another web that was quickly burned away. As the team passed through the resulting opening, however, the cavern began to shake, the rocks above their heads rumbling. Acting fast, they rushed or dove forward just as the ceiling caved in, sealing off the way they'd come.

"Is anyone injured?" Liara asked.

"We're fine" Eve replied.

"Looks like we're finding another way out of here" Shepard said. "Come on."

"_What was that noise, Shepard? Sounded bad._"

"Cave-in. We're all right."

"_Good. Didn't wanna dig you out._"

"That hurts my feelings, Grunt."

"_Yeah, yeah…_"

Shepard, James, and Liara activated suit-mounted flashlights, while Samus' visor and Eve's racial trait of well-developed low-light vision meant they were fine without. The team cautiously advanced, Samus and Shepard torching a few more pods.

"_Shepard, I know what happened to the scouts._"

"What did you find?"

"_They got hit hard. The leader ordered them to carry weapons deep into the caves. He knew the next team would need help._"

"They died making sure we could make it to the central chamber."

The team moved on, soon reaching another cavern. As soon as they entered, a pack of Husks dropped from the ceiling, along with a few Cannibals and a Ravager. Liara destroyed a Reaper barrier-projector with a Warp attack, while Shepard turned his flamethrower on the approaching Husks, the stream of fire outright killing some of the reanimates while James' assault rifle poured rounds into the rest as they flailed and burned. Liara tossed out a Singularity that snatched up the Cannibals, and Samus locked onto them with a Seeker Missile barrage that took them out. Eve formed and fired a wave of crimson energy bolts at the Ravager, weakening its armor some. Shepard hit it with an Incinerate blast to hasten the process, and a charged blast from Eve's staff finished the beast off. From the Ravager's body emerged a half-dozen little creatures, their bodies glowing blue with Reaper tech as they scuttled toward the group; Shepard's SMG put them down easily enough.

As the team advanced into the cavern, they rounded a corner to find another group of hostiles, four Husks and a Ravager. A Seeker-Missile strike from Samus took out the cannon-fodder, while Liara and Shepard combined Biotic power to hoist the Ravager into the air, leaving it vulnerable to a barrage of shotgun blasts, energy bolts, and charged Plasma-Beam shots from James, Eve, and Samus. By the time it hit the ground again, it was weak enough that a single pistol shot from Shepard finished it off.

"_We must be getting close, Shepard_" Grunt radioed. "_Some heavy fighting. Tough bastards!_"

"Casualties?" Shepard asked.

"_It's fine. Krogans fight better angry._"

Moving on, the team passed a few more clusters of pods. This time, however, when a few of them were set off, Swarmers emerged from them. The Rachni-Worker Husks scuttled toward them, and Shepard & Liara used their SMGs to clear them out. The team advanced carefully, giving the pods a wide berth, hopping across a gap and noticing just how many eggs were around.

"They're breeding an army of these things" Samus said.

"They breed quick and this is a perfect place to hide them until their numbers are nigh-unstoppable" Eve agreed.

"And they're throwing everything they've got at us to keep us from reaching the nest" Shepard finished.

Advancing through a narrow passageway, they came to a ledge; up ahead, on the other side of the drop, Grunt and his team were pinned down against a Reaper Door as Ravagers came at them from the right. Grunt roared and charged at a Ravager, tackling it from the side and picking it up, throwing it over the ledge.

"I! AM! KROGAN!"

More Ravagers kept coming, and one of Aralakh Company's soldiers took a hit. Samus leapt forward and Screw-Attacked her way across the gap, landing amongst the Krogans and lending her Plasma Beam to the battle, giving the Ravagers some pause. Meanwhile, the rest of Team Shepard headed left, burning through a 'web' and reaching the chamber on the other side of the door. Eve rammed the energy blade of her staff into the power node, and the Reaper Door unlocked and opened. Aralakh Company's soldiers moved in, Grunt firing a few parting shots that killed one Ravager and convinced the rest to fall back.

"Shepard," he said as he jumped down, "it isn't webbing; it's Reaper tech."

"We ran into it, too" Shepard replied.

"…The Rachni Husks have backed off for now, but they can smell our wounds. Any worthy enemy would regroup and finish us off, and soon."

"We're close, Grunt. Those barriers were protecting whatever's down that passage."

Grunt looked around. "We'll dig in here, kill anything that moves, buy you some time."

Shepard looked at his squad, looking back and forth between James, Samus, and Eve. "…Samus, stay with the Krogans. Keep them alive, and help them get out when it's time to leave."

"Yes, Commander" the armored woman nodded, checking her cannon.

"Good luck, Grunt" Shepard said.

Grunt grinned. "I don't need luck; I have ammo."

As Samus and the Krogans took defensive positions, Team Shepard moved on, soon reaching a 'crawl-space' in the wall. Crawling through it single-file, they emerged into a massive chamber, a few lines of Reaper tech here & there.

"Grunt, we've located the central chamber."

"_Good! We've got your back, Shepard!_"

As the quartet carefully hopped down into the chamber, two Reaper Walls suddenly sprang up on either side of them. Realizing what was going on, Shepard immediately took off running straight ahead, his team following him as more walls sprang up around them. However, they were too late; a final barricade snapped up right in front of them, boxing them in. Looking around, however, James quickly spotted a power node, and destroyed it with a few assault rifle rounds. The left-side barricades retracted, and immediately Husks began charging.

"This is it, people!" Shepard said as he readied his SMG.

A quartet of human-Husks came rushing in, only for James' shotgun and Shepard's SMG to cut them down. Further in, three Cannibals and a Ravager stood guard around a power node, and were already lining up shots on Team Shepard. Liara tossed out a Singularity that snatched the Cannibals up before they could fire, and Eve blasted the hapless Batarian-Husks with a wave of crimson energy bolts. Shepard threw a Warp that curve-balled into the Ravager's side, knocking it off balance and weakening its natural armor, followed with an Incinerate that did more damage, and finished with some SMG fire. With the way clear, they hurried over to the power node, and a blast from James' shotgun destroyed it. In response, the barriers blocking the other side of the room lowered.

More Husks and another Ravager emerged between the team's entry point and their current position. Shepard and Liara combined Biotics to pick up the Ravager and then Slam it into the ground with rock-cracking force, killing it and rupturing its sacs; the spawned Swarmers were quickly dealt with by their SMGs. Eve switched her staff to its lightsaber-like energy blade form, decapitating one Husk and skewering another. James' shotgun boomed, blasting the leg off a Husk and leaving it vulnerable to another shot to the heat.

The right side of the chamber had yet more Husks and Cannibals and another Ravager. Eve readied her Viper and started picking off Cannibals with it, while James and Liara fired full-auto on the approaching Husks. Shepard Biotic-Charged into the Ravager, knocking it over, and then he jammed two grenades into its carapace. Leaping away, he came out of a roll with a flourish just as the Ravager exploded dramatically behind him. Liara destroyed the next power node with a Warp, and yet more enemies appeared behind them.

"There's so damn many of them!" Eve said as she sniped a Cannibal.

"Keep it up, people!" Shepard called as he blasted a Husk with Incinerate.

Shepard sent out his Combat Drone, the construct beginning to fire incendiary 'rockets' at Husks and Cannibals. Eve blasted one of the Ravagers with Psionic Lightning, the creature screeching as the electricity coursed through it, overloading its synthetic systems. It managed to fire a shot from its cannons that knocked Eve on her butt, her shields being downed to a mere 2%; then, a blast from the Drone finished the wounded Rachni Husk off, and as soon as Eve's shields were recharged she got back in the fight. The second Ravager fired a shot that destroyed/dispelled the Combat Drone, and then turned its guns on Liara, but a Carnage shot from James knocked the Rachni Husk's fire off-target, giving Liara time to Stasis it. Shepard and Liara then hit the frozen creature with a double Warp, the Biotic resonance between the two blasts and the Stasis field violently ripping the Ravager apart.

"_Shepard, the Rachni are backing off! Whatever spooked them won't last. Finish the job._"

The team made their way up to the final barricade just as it retracted. There, in the center of the chamber, was a huge creature, gazing down at them with multiple faintly-glowing blue & black eyes. Shackles held it to the Reaper machines.

"_**Si…lence…**_"

The group startled a bit as the numerous Krogan corpses scattered through the chamber suddenly spoke as one.

"_**The… maddening sour note has ceased.**_"

"What are you?" Shepard asked.

"_**The last queen. We listen for the children… They are silent. Hollow. The machines come and take them to war. They die alone, silent, far away…**_"

"The Reapers did this to you?"

"_**Yes. The sour note of the machines is everywhere.**_"

"…I let you go back on Noveria. You promised not to cause trouble anymore."

"_**We remember. We kept out promise, retreated back through the Relay. We started a new home. Beautiful children; harmony… We made ready to fight the machines; our children, queens of our progeny, constructed ships of war and birthed warriors, making ready for the machines' arrival. But… the machines came before we were ready. They heard our songs. Their **__**shriek**__** of sour notes drowned us out.**_"

"Are any of the newer Queens in the Reapers' clutches?"

"_**No. They wait in dormancy, waiting for our call. The machines have not perverted their songs. We… I was captured before I could send out the call to arms.**_"

"Can you still feel the Reapers? Can they influence you?"

"_**We hear the machines, but they cannot control us. Remove this last shackle, and we are free. We and our untainted children shall redeem the Rachni name, and help the other Hives of this galaxy drive the dark-song machines into oblivion.**_"

Suddenly, there was a faint metallic screeching audible from elsewhere in the tunnels.

"_**The tainted children return! They will destroy us all. Release us!**_"

"_We're getting movement here_" Grunt radioed. "_A __**lot**__ of movement…_"

"She's a mess…" James said. "She needs too much time to escape."

"_Shepard, we're out of time! If we stay here, Aralakh Company dies! Is that clear?_"

"…Eve, 'jump' to Grunt and Samus! Help Aralakh Company hold the line while the Queen escapes, and then get the hell out of here!"

The Lucavi warrior nodded, vanishing in a 'space-bridge' jump. Shepard then walked over to the final node and shot it with his pistol. The shackle holding the Rachni Queen came loose, and she dropped to the ground with a thud, her thick and armored limbs supporting her. She let out a soft warbling screech, and then began to make her exit. As soon as she was clear, Team Shepard made their way out as well. Suddenly, there was a piercing cry from the Rachni Queen that echoed through the caves. It was _not_ one of pain or distress, but of awakening. At Aralakh Company's position, the Krogans and their two humanoid allies got a surprise as two large, black-armored creatures emerged: Rachni Brood-Warriors. The uncorrupted Rachni immediately lashed out with acid blasts and Biotic attacks against their fallen brethren. After a couple minutes, there was another sounding call.

"Time to get the hell out of here!" Grunt said. "Move, boys! Move, move, move!"

A shockwave of psionic power from Eve knocked three Ravagers over a cliff as the group started running. One Krogan fell, a cannon shot from a Ravager hitting his leg, but without breaking stride one of the Brood-Warriors picked him up and carried him as they ran; the wounded Krogan quickly got over the surprise of his 'steed' and continued firing at the Reaper forces pursuing them. Samus rolled into Morph-Ball form and dropped a Power Bomb in the enemy's path before then returning to normal and continuing to run, the resulting explosion killing two more Ravagers. Before long, they caught up with Shepard's group, hurrying up through the caves and blasting any Reaper forces in their way. However, reaching a cavern passageway bordering a deep drop, they came face to face with a half-dozen Ravagers.

Suddenly, the rock wall next to the Rachni Husks shattered as the Queen busted through. With an angry shriek, she swatted one of the surprised Ravagers away into the abyss, and then blasted two more with a Biotic Shockwave that hit like a freight train, splatting them against the far wall. The Brood-Warriors charged in to aid their Queen, catching the remaining Ravagers from the side before they could fire on her. Shepard and Samus added their fire to the cause, a Biotic Throw and a Super Missile sending two more Ravagers over the edge. The last Ravager tried to leap at the Queen, but a Saber Throw from Eve bisected it.

"Never thought I'd be saved _from_ Rachni _by_ Rachni…" one of the Krogans muttered.

The Queen and the two Brood-Warriors left through another tunnel, heading for safety, while Team Shepard and Aralakh Company continued on their own way. Soon, the light of Utukku's sun was visible, and the teams emerged back to the surface. As two waiting shuttles picked them up, Shepard received one last telepathic message from the Rachni Queen: a 'transmitted' feeling of gratitude. Smiling, he took his seat as the shuttles took off.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

_**Normandy-II**_**, QEC Room**

"_I'm reviewing your report on the Rachni situation, Commander. This could have gotten complicated, fast. I hope you know what you're doing, cutting a deal with the Rachni Queen. We got burned last time. I'm trusting your instincts, Commander._"

"We can count on her support, Admiral."

"_I hope so. But… we cut the Reaper supply of new Rachni Husks and picked up some additional Krogan support. I call that a victory. I've gotta get back to it, Commander. Watch yourself out there. Hackett out._"

As Shepard exited the QEC room, he found Wrex waiting.

"Sounds like I missed a hell of a fight" the old Krogan said.

"It was bloody, Wrex. We could've used you."

"Too busy talking rather than fighting. Feeling restless; a war going on, and I'm stuck keeping the peace. I heard you made some kinda deal with the Rachni Queen. If they get out of hand again, it's your ass on the line."

"Understood."

"And you got Grunt & his boys out alive, too. I'll let 'em get patched up, and then put 'em back to work."

"Shepard," Mordin called out as he entered, "tests verified. Results promising. Can synthesize for universal Krogan immunity."

"Good" Wrex replied. "Then you can put your knife away."

"The cure's ready?" Shepard asked.

"No. Still need transmission vector. Cure useless unless given to entire species."

"You're usually full of ideas, Mordin. You altered the genophage before; there must be a way."

"Of course. Always possibilities. But time limited. Can't create new infection strain from scratch. Groundwater? No, too slow. Voluntary inoculation risky, population too scattered for airborne, unless… Wait, yes! The Shroud! Constant global dispersion of air particles. Built by Salarians to repair atmosphere of Tuchanka." He called up a hologram of the pointed spire building. "Also used by… Turians…" he said, a bit uncomfortably.

"We used it to secretly spread the genophage virus" Primarch Victus chimed in. "It… ended the Krogan Rebellions."

"I'd be careful who you tell that to…" Wrex growled.

"Sometimes I understand why the Krogans want to shoot everyone in sight" Shepard remarked.

"Those were desperate times…" Victus murmured.

"Yes, yes, but useful now" Mordin said. "Original genophage strain still in storage at Shroud facility. Can use it as transmission vector, then use Shroud to blanket Tuchanka with cure!"

Wrex grinned. "You clever little pyjak. That's our best shot, right there."

"Then finish your preparations and be ready to go, Mordin" Shepard told the scientist.

"Of course. Ready when you need me. Will be in medbay with Shaman until then."

"_Commander, Admiral Anderson is available on vid-comm._"

Nodding, Shepard headed right back into the QEC room, finding his old friend waiting.

"_Shepard. So, I imagine by now you've wiped the galaxy clean of Reapers and we can all come up for air?_"

"Not quite. There have been a few complications."

"_Aren't there always? Hackett filled me in on the Crucible. Sounds like you've got some knots to untangle._"

"It's what you hired me to do."

"_Mostly you were hired to kill Reapers. I hope you haven't been sidetracked by all the politics._"

"Nothing I can't handle. What about you? What's happening on Earth?"

"_I'll spare you the details. But let's just say a lot of cities around the world have stopped checking in._"

"That bad?"

"_You and I knew what we were in for, but everyone else… I don't think the shock's worn off yet._"

"Are you safe?"

"_That changes by the hour. I caught a shuttle evac out of Vancouver, and now we're running from foxhole to foxhole just trying to stay alive._"

"What about the Reapers?"

"_They're harvesting everything that moves. They're focusing on the big cities, which does give us some room to maneuver._"

"You think you can hang on?"

"_Hell, we're still just trying to talk to each other. Right now, all we can do is organize the resistance at a local level. No lack of volunteers, at least; everybody knows what's at stake._"

"I don't know how we'll win this yet, but we will, even if it kills me."

"_Well, you've already died once and that didn't slow you down. But let's not tempt fate. Keep yourself safe, Shepard._"

"You too, sir."

"_We'll talk again soon. Anderson out._"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Arcturus Stream, Euler System, Benning**

**SCAN: **"**_Benning_**_, the nearest garden world to Arcturus Station, is the primary source of its food supply and an important staging area for starship maintenance and repair. Occupying the planet would be key in any attempt to retake the system's relay. Scattered intelligence indicates that during the battles of Arcturus and Earth, the Reapers sent a small force to Benning to destroy its comm. buoys, spaceports, and starships. With the population immobilized and communications cut, the main force concentrated on the larger prize, knowing they could return before repairs could be made or help could arrive. Heat sources in Benning's space indicate a non-Reaper presence here._"

A UT-47A Kodiak descended through Benning's atmosphere, carrying a team of three individuals, larger than normal humans and wearing red heavy armor. Sent in ahead of the rest of the UNSC to participate in missions like this, the three Spartan-2.5-turned-4s made ready. Admiral Hackett's face appeared on the screen.

"_Crimson Team, Cerberus strike squads have infiltrated one of the major cities on Benning. Initial reports indicated they were recruiting civilians. But further information suggests that people are being taken against their will._"

"For what purpose, sir?" Lero-B047 asked.

"_We sent in a recon team to investigate, and the Cerberus squads reacted by targeting civilians and public facilities. Officially, Cerberus is denying responsibility and condemning the action. They're either lying, or we're dealing with a rogue faction._"

"And innocents are caught in their crosshairs."

"_Exactly. Secure the area so we can establish a rescue lifeline to the rest of the city._"

"Approaching the drop-point, sir" a Systems Alliance Lieutenant said from the pilot's seat.

"_The people down there are counting on you, Spartans. Hackett out._"

The shuttle set down, and the three Spartans piled out. Moving through the streets, they caught sight of a civilian being gunned down up ahead. As they rounded a corner, 'Spartan Time' kicked in as Alisa-B296 knelt and fired her SRS995 sniper rifle at the turret in the middle of the square, two rounds wrecking the gun, while Lero and Zeke-B147 fired their BR85 rifles at Cerberus soldiers, killing four standard Troopers. The Engineer took a round from Alisa's rifle that scattered his skull contents, while Zeke let his shields soak up fire from a Centurion as he rushed the Cerberus officer and shoulder-tackled him, downing his kinetic barriers, and then unloaded several MA5D rounds point-blank. Lero used his rifle to take out the remaining Troopers.

"Dog tags, sir" Zeke called out, kneeling by a bloodstain on the ground. "Alliance marine, someone named Osoba."

"Take 'em with us" Lero replied. "We can notify his next-of-kin."

"_Diversion is working, Spartans_" the pilot radioed. "_Civilians are on the move. Hold on… Tracking civilians fleeing the area with Cerberus right behind them. Updating your nav-points._"

As the markers appeared on the three Spartans' HUDs, they hurried through a couple buildings to reach a parking area, where a handful of civilians were pinned by approaching Cerberus forces. Alisa sniped a Centurion and then reloaded, while Zeke and Lero leapt down and charged in, assault rifles blazing as they cut down a half-dozen Troopers. The three Spartans quickly reached the civilians, who were surprised but grateful to see the trio of heavily-armored soldiers.

More Cerberus troopers arrived, and Lero was thankful the civilians had the sense to stay put and stay down as the shooting started. Alisa switched to her BR85, the trio using the faithful weapon to cut down any 'Cerbies' that popped their heads out. As an Engineer entered the field, Alisa pulled out a Sangheili plasma pistol and fired a 'scaled burst' that stripped his shields, and Zeke took him down. A Centurion tried to throw a grenade over the Spartans' heads and into the civilians, but Lero shot the explosive out of the air before it was halfway across the area, detonating it harmlessly and then working with Alisa to gun the Centurion down.

After a few more Cerberus troops were downed and there was a brief lull, Lero signaled the civilians to get moving, hurrying through a building on the side and toward the landing pad. More Cerberus forces were waiting there, and the people took cover as the Spartans each threw a frag grenade into the mass of enemies, killing five of them. An Engineer tried to set up a turret, but was sniped by Alisa, while Zeke took out a Trooper with his MA5D and Lero killed another that was trying to get a bead on the civilians.

The fighting continued for a few more minutes, with Fireteam Crimson easily slaughtering the Cerberus forces that attacked. Finally, the area was clear, and armed transports flew in to pick up the civilians. The Kodiak came in as well, extracting the Spartans from another job well done.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**The Citadel, Huerta Memorial**

As Shepard walked into the hospital room, he found Ashley staring out the window. She was on her feet, wearing parts of her armor.

"Good to see you up and around" he said.

"Yeah…" she replied, turning around part-way to see him.

"Everything alright?"

"I guess. Oh, I took Udina's offer."

"Spectre status. Congratulations."

"Seems small compared to what's going on…" she sighed.

"You ready for the responsibilities of a Spectre?"

"…It doesn't feel real yet. Maybe it'll sink in. I don't know what duties I'll have. Everything's a mess right now. What do you think of all this?"

"You're a fine soldier with an impressive record. You deserve this."

"Thanks. That… means a lot coming from you. He said we'll have the official ceremony soon… once I'm out of here."

"And after? Any plans to come back to the _Normandy_?"

"I'm not sure. Frankly, I've got enough to think about right now."

"I understand. You feeling better?"

"I'm fine, other than the pile of paperwork the doc's gonna throw at me." She sighed, looking out the window. "Sorry I'm so distracted, Shepard, it's just…"

"What's going on?"

"I heard from my mom. They got out in time. They're okay."

"Good. That's good news. Did you sister make it to the Citadel?"

"She did. But… her husband was killed in action."

"I'm sorry, Ash…"

"Thanks. Yeah, Sarah wasn't much for the military life. We were all surprised when they got married…"

"I wonder how many families are getting torn apart by the Reapers?"

"I don't wanna think about it. Seems hopeless sometimes…"

"Don't blame yourself for this, Ashley."

"I know… but I'm her big sis, y'know? …' In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance, my head is bloody, but unbowed'."

"What's that from?"

"_Invictus_, by Henley. One of my dad's sappy poets."

"It's about not giving up."

"Right. … My sister wants to do a thing at the memorial. Nothing fancy, just some words about family. It'll be tough."

"Keep me posted, all right?"

"Will do. And thanks, Shepard."

-_Break_-

**Docking Bay E24 – Memorial Wall**

"Are you okay?" Shepard asked.

Steve Cortez sighed, holding the datapad that held his departed husband's final message. "I've just been standing here, holding this for I don't know how long. …He'll always be a part of me."

"Your past is yours. No-one can take that away."

Cortez nodded, and then slowly walked up to the memorial wall, standing amongst other people grieving over their own losses. He held up the datapad…

"_I love you, but I know you. Don't make me an anchor. Promise me, Steve._"

"Goodbye, Robert…" He turned to Shepard. "Thank you for coming."

"Any time."

-_Break_-

_**Normandy II**_**, CO's Quarters**

Shepard sat on the couch of his quarters, having just got back from running into Jack at Club Purgatory, as well as buying James and a few Alliance soldiers a round of drinks. There was a knock on the door.

"Come on in" he called out.

The door opened, and Liara came in holding a black box of sorts that she carefully set down on the table.

"I've been thinking about the knowledge we've gathered on the Reapers," she said, "and how easily it could be lost again. So… I put a plan in motion to preserve things for the future."

She keyed in a few commands, and a narrow blue shaft of light shone up from the center of the box's top.

"What's this?" Shepard asked.

"A record of the galaxy" she replied, the hologram shifting to various things as she continued speaking. "Information on the Reapers, relays, different cultures… and blueprints of the Crucible. But there's one entry I wanted your opinion on."

"Which one?"

The hologram changed again, to…

"Your own. I'd be honored to have your input. How would you like history to remember you?"

[AN: Poor memory incoming; will correct upon next playthrough]

"…Be honest. Put everything down, good and bad. Let history decide what to think about me."

"Very well. Let me just delete all these glowing praises on your heroics…"

"Writing down something I can't live up to, Liara?"

"Well… I _did_ just write your name in the stars…"

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: Tuchanka


	13. A Future For the Krogans

Okay, I'm almost certainly going to make a _Kill La Kill_ Book; it'll be Book 29. I already have a fair bit of it planned out. Now, here's where I need help. I also had another idea for an upcoming Book, and I want to have it take place immediately after #29. The thing is, the KLK Book and the already-planned Book are both gonna be pretty short in terms of number of chapters. I was wondering if I should merge them into one Book – have the other Book's events happen after the KLK events.

This could cause problems, however, for one reason: this site only allows you to mark a crossover by two franchises. So, the KLK Book will be marked as a "Lyrical Nanoha / Kill La Kill crossover" even though the Naruto-verse will also play a big role. And the other planned Book is going to have the DBZ crew make a big impact, yet also has a little Touhou planned (Reisen finally goes to confront Eirin). I can't mark a Book as "Lyrical Nanoha / Kill La Kill / Naruto / Touhou / Dragon Ball" because the site won't let me.

Do I keep them as two separate, super-shorty-short Books 29 & 30 so I can at least mark their two 'main' categories, or do I merge them into a single Book 29 and randomly pick which two of the five series get used to categorize the fic?

IN OTHER NEWS: This chapter will be light on DDF involvement; to make up for it, the entire next chapter will focus on DDF personnel fighting on Equestria.

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Krogan DMZ, Aralakh System, Tuchanka**

**CODEX: **"_Tuchanka, the Krogan homeworld, boasts extreme temperatures, virulent diseases, and predatory fauna. Around 1900 BCE, the Krogans discovered atomic weapons and promptly sent their planet into a nuclear winter. The majority of the population retreated to underground bunkers, and Krogan culture slipped into a dark age dominated by tribal clans. In 80 CE, decades into the Rachni Wars, the Salarian Union made first contact with the primitive Krogans and initiated a 'cultural uplift' to shape them into a modern army capable of confronting the Rachni. During this uplift, the Salarians constructed the Shroud facility on Tuchanka to shield the planet from harmful forms of solar radiation. Later, during the Krogan Rebellions, reproductive rates were curtailed by the genophage, ensuring the Krogans remained a species in decline, and Tuchanka a desolate wasteland._"

A lone Kodiak shuttle flew down through the dusty atmosphere of the Krogan homeworld. No sooner had the _Normandy II_ arrived than scanners detected someone besides the Reapers setting up shop groundside. Now, Shepard was heading down with a team – EDI, Kal'Reegar, and James – to clear them out.

"_Shepard,_" Admiral Hackett said, "_Cerberus is landing forces away from the Tuchanka battlefields. Their target seems to be an ancient surface-to-orbit cannon facility that hasn't been used since the Krogan Rebellions. The site has no obvious military advantage, and the Krogans are spread too thin to deal with it._"

"Do we know what Cerberus is up to?" Shepard asked.

"_No, but we do know they don't act without a plan. Get in there and stop them, and find out what they're up to while you're at it._"

"We'll get it done."

The Kodiak approached the facility, which had three long cannons pointed up at an angle. As the shuttle drew near, the cannons suddenly fired, the coilguns sending a trio of shells up through the atmosphere at relativistic speeds.

"Looks like Cerberus got the cannons operational, Commander!" Cortez said as the shuttle hovered over a drop-off point. "I'll go back up and get a read on what they're shooting at."

"All right," Shepard said as he and his team disembarked and the Kodiak flew away, "let's find the control room for those cannons. Kill anything in our way."

The quartet rounded a few corners and came out to the entrance of the main outdoor area of the facility. A Cerberus Trooper had his back turned to them across the way, and Shepard announced their presence with a Biotic Throw that launched the surprised Trooper over the ledge he'd been standing by. The other Cerberus forces in the courtyard took notice, and soon Team Shepard was under fire.

"_Commander, I have a visual on an inbound Cerberus cruiser_" Cortez radioed. "_The cannon fire is clearing the way. If that ship makes it to bombardment range, the Krogan resistance is in trouble!_"

"Keep track of it, Lieutenant" Shepard replied as he used his pistol to take out a pair of Troopers while Kal and James focused assault-rifle fire to shred a Centurion. They moved in, EDI sending out a holographic decoy to confuse a Centurion whom she then Overloaded the shields of, leaving him open to focused SMG fire. Shepard caught four Troopers in a Singularity, and then tossed a Warp to detonate it, ripping them apart. An Engineer emerged from the main building's side entrance, but before he could even reach back to pull a turret out Shepard downed his shields and Kal'Reegar filled him full of holes.

The team fought their way up the ramp to the control room, James' shotgun blowing away a Trooper who tried to stand in their way. Inside, an Engineer and two Centurions were waiting; Shepard and EDI took out the shields of the former and one of the latter, following with some SMG fire, while James and Reegar took down the other Centurion.

"Control room secure" Shepard said. "I think it's time to test these cannons."

Shepard called up his Omnitool and tapped into the cannons' network. However, as the guns were being calibrated, everything suddenly shut down.

"Cerberus has cut the power" EDI reported. "Marking the power junctions on our HUDs."

Team Shepard moved back down from the control room, finding the courtyard already populated by another Cerberus squad. Shepard loosed a Biotic Shockwave that slammed two Troopers into a crate, while James shoulder-tackled a nearby Trooper… and, in doing so, dodged the sniper shot fired at where he had just been by a Nemesis. Shepard quickly drew his Valiant and picked off the enemy sniper, while Kal'Reegar used his shotgun to bring down two Troopers who tried to flank the Commander.

They fought their way through a handful of Troopers back to near where they'd been dropped off, finding the two junctions guarded by another squad led by two Centurions. Shepard and EDI took out the enemy leaders' shields, and then James and Kal threw a couple grenades in, killing one of the Centurions and two of the Troopers. An Engineer tried to set up a turret, but Shepard Biotically picked him up and slammed him to the side into a wall, breaking his neck. EDI sent out a Decoy to confuse the remaining Troopers, and Shepard used his SMG to gun them down. With the way clear, Shepard and EDI quickly hurried over to the junctions, breaking the locks on them and getting to work. After several seconds, power was restored.

"_We're cutting it close, Commander_" Cortez radioed.

As the team hurried back across the courtyard and into the control room, they found an Engineer, a turret, and a pair of Guardians waiting for them. Shepard immediately hacked the turret, which turned its guns on the back of one of the Guardians, cutting the shield-wielding trooper down before he could react. At the same time, Shepard Biotically pulled the shield away from the other Guardian, leaving him open to rifle fire from James and Reegar, while EDI overloaded the Engineer's shields and gunned him down with her SMG. Shepard and James tossed a pair of grenades at the turret just as the hack wore off, destroying it.

"_Commander, cruiser initiating bombardment!_"

Shepard hurried to the console, tapping in with his Omnitool. "Cannon controls restored" he replied. "Targeting enabled. Coordinates, Lieutenant!"

"_Uploaded!_"

"Firing!"

The building shook as the three STO coilguns fired. After a few seconds…

"_Direct starboard hit, Commander! Target breaking up! Repeat: direct hit!_"

"Alright. Good work, everyone."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

_**Normandy II**_**, Deck Two, QEC Room**

"_Shepard, with those Krogan cannons operational, Cerberus has actually given us the advantage in the Aralakh system. They're pulling back, but we think they'll try to seize the facility again._"

"Seems likely."

"_I'm sending an Alliance team to keep it secure. They've got a foothold in a strong defensive position, thanks to you. Good work, Commander. Hackett out._"

No sooner had the connection with Hackett cut, Joker's voice came over the intercom.

"_Shepard, sensors show a Reaper parked at the Shroud facility. No way you're going to be able to land a shuttle there._"

"Get everyone assembled here in the War Room" Shepard replied. "I want eyes on the Shroud."

Within a few minutes, Mordin, Victus, and Wrex entered the room, as the table's hologram showed the Shroud tower and its 'guard'.

"Destroyer-class Reaper," Mordin observed, "Using Shroud to poison Tuchanka's atmosphere. Problematic."

"If they want a fight, they just got one" Wrex growled.

"Primarch," Shepard said, "we're going to need your help."

"That could be difficult" the old Turian replied. "Our losses on Palaven have been catastrophic."

"We're doing this for Palaven. No-one said it would be easy."

"…What do you have in mind?"

"A combined attack" Shepard suggested as he triggered holograms of Turian fighter craft flying in formation toward the Destroyer. "Your people hit the Reaper with an airstrike." Holograms of large armored gun-bearing trucks – Krogan Tomkahs – appeared from the Reaper's left. "Wrex, at the same time your soldiers will be attacking from the ground. Together, you can draw it away from the tower."

"Yes, distraction" Mordin surmised. "Small team can reach Shroud facility, finish synthesizing cure. Will need Eve to come with us. …Krogan-Eve, I mean. Though if Lucavi-Eve wishes to join team, she is welcome to."

"Where is she anyway?" Victus asked.

"Eve in Medbay" the Salarian replied.

"Which one? The Krogan or the Lucavi?"

"Yes."

"…What?"

"They're both there, talkin' with each other" Wrex clarified. He smirked. "I can't believe the doc's trick confused you."

"Learned it from Legion" Mordin said. "Used it to mess with Kirrahe back on Sur'Kesh a few times." He smirked. "Always amusing seeing him blow his top."

"We've never faced a Reaper up close like this" Shepard said. "Is everyone on board?"

"There's even a doubt?" Wrex replied. "Let's move, boys. It's time to cure the genophage."

"_Commander,_" Traynor said over the intercom as the three aliens left, "_incoming message marked urgent. I'll put it in the comm. room for you._"

When Shepard headed into the QEC room, he was met with an unexpected robed figure. "Dalatrass Linron?"

"_Commander Shepard, we know you've reached Tuchanka. And, by now, I imagine Mordin Solus has proposed using the Shroud._"

"Are you spying on us?"

"_Hardly. The Shroud is the only viable course of action open to you. Commander, you can't allow your misguided sympathy for the Krogans to cloud your judgment. Do you honestly believe curing the genophage will end in lasting peace?_"

"We have to give them that chance. You can't condemn an entire species to extinction based on what _might_ happen."

"_What __**will**__ happen is the Krogans will reproduce out of control. We uplifted them specifically for their violent nature, not their diplomatic skills. Another war is inevitable._"

"What do you want, Dalatrass?" the Commander scowled.

"_Years ago, our operatives sabotaged the Shroud facility to ensure what you're planning couldn't be done. Mordin will likely detect this malfunction and repair it. But if you ensure that he doesn't, then the cure's viability will be altered just enough so that it fails. No one will notice the change._"

"You mean trick the Krogans?"

"_They need not be any the wiser. Let Urdnot Wrex believe you fulfilled your promise._"

"Mordin would never stand for that."

"_How you deal with him is up to you, Commander. We can provide you our very best scientists to build the Crucible, and the full support of our fleets. …Think about it, Commander. The choice is yours._"

The Dalatrass cut the connection before Shepard could say anything more. Sighing, he turned and headed out.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

The Kodiak was rather packed as it descended through Tuchanka's dusty skies – Shepard had taken along Garrus, Liara, Javik, and Lucavi-Eve, while Wrex, Mordin, and Krogan-Eve were along for the ride as well.

"I've ordered the clans to assemble at the Hollows" Wrex said. "It's our sacred meeting ground. We'll land there and take an armored convoy against the Reaper. …This will be the defining moment of Krogan history."

"Krogan history filled with defining moments" Mordin remarked. "Most bloody. Hope this one better."

"…Commander," the female Shaman spoke up, "you seem troubled."

"…I got a message from the-"

Shepard was cut off as the shuttle lurched.

"_Wrex, it's Wreav! The Reapers are already at the Hollows! Come out with guns blazing!_"

"Hang on tight!" Cortex called back from the cockpit.

The shuttle flew in under a few (badly-aimed) flak bursts and set down in front of the entrance to the massive Hollows structure. The door opened to reveal a Husk less than a meter away, and Wrex blasted it with his shotgun before it could so much as move in the group's direction.

"Shepard," he said as he hopped out, "keep them away from the female! I'll sort out what's happening with the other clans!"

Team Shepard disembarked and moved through the main entrance of the Hollows. Inside, Krogan warriors did battle against a horde of Husks, the reptilian juggernauts' power and skill being matched by the cyber-zombies' raw numbers. Liara threw out a Singularity that snatched up four charging Husks, and Shepard used a Warp to detonate it, ripping them apart. Javik and Garrus added their rifles' fire, cutting down Husks a bit farther away, while (Lucavi) Eve leapt in with her staff in dual-saber mode, using the energy blades to decapitate or bisect a pack of six Husks she landed amongst. Shepard and Javik finished off the Husks left in their area by Biotically throwing them into the deep pit in the center of the room. Soon one of the large doors opened, Wrex leading a pack of Krogans in.

"They'll sing battle-songs about this someday" he said. "Reaper blood has finally soaked our soil!"

Krogans roared out from the various balconies lining the high walls of the multi-level chamber.

"We have to get to the Shroud" Shepard said. "The airstrike is on its way."

"Female safe, Shepard" Mordin said as he came down the steps into the Hollows. "Vitals are strong."

"What's a Salarian doing here?-!" a Krogan in Clan Urdnot armor with a dull-brown head crest said, walking up at the head of a pack of Krogans (most of them in Blood Pack colors). "Nobody said anything about this!"

"Who are you?" Shepard asked.

"Urdnot Wreav, blood-brother to our… 'illustrious' leader."

The Krogans supporting Wrex growled at the slight against their chief.

"Wreav and I share the same mother," Wrex explained, "and nothing else."

"For which I'm thankful. I remember what it means to be a true Krogan. We flay our enemies alive and drown them in a geyser of their own blood. We don't invite them into our home."

"This Salarian is not your enemy" Shepard said. "He's here to help cure the genophage."

"His kind _gave_ us the genophage! Why should we trust him?"

Wreav began to make a threatening move towards Shepard and Mordin, only for Wrex to floor him with a headbutt, earning growls from Wreav's supporters.

"Because I do" Wrex replied. "And so will _you_, Wreav…"

Wreav snarled as he got to his feet. Krogans on both sides growled and made threatening gestures, as Wreav drew his shotgun…

"Enough!"

Krogan-Eve's call drew the attention of every Krogan in the Hollows, bringing an immediate halt to hostilities; when someone who was both a female and a Shaman called for attention, the males _listened_.

"You can stay here and let old wounds fester, as Krogans have always done…" she spoke as she walked down the steps. "Or you can fight the enemy you were born to destroy, and win a new future for our children." She took position atop the 'stage' in the center of the room, overlooking the crowd of males on the ground floor. "I choose to _fight_. Who will join me?"

"I will" Shepard spoke up.

"I will as well" Mordin chimed in.

"And so will I" Lucavi-Eve stepped up.

"Count us in, too" Garrus spoke up, Liara and Javik standing beside him.

"And so will I!" Wrex said. "Now hold your heads high like true Krogans! There's a Reaper that needs killing!"

The Krogans filling the Hollows roared and pounded their fists in approval, ready for battle against the true enemy. After several seconds, Wreav nodded, he and his underlings joining as well.

-_Break_-

"_Krogan ground convoy, this is Turian wing Artimec. Our flight vector to the Shroud is locked. We're 10 minutes out and counting._"

A convoy of Tomkahs rolled down the sturdy old highway. Out in the distance, the Shroud was visible amongst the ruins, as was the Reaper Destroyer guarding it. Shepard rode with Mordin, Wrex, and Krogan-Eve aboard one of the lead Tomkahs.

"Copy that, Artimec" Shepard replied. "We're on our way, trying to make up lost time. Shepard out."

"Wreav isn't the only Krogan who wants revenge for the genophage, Wrex" Krogan-Eve said. "You'll have to placate them somehow."

"I'll demand that the Council return some of our old territory" Wrex replied. "We'll need room to expand – recapture the glory of the ancients."

"'Glory of ancients' led to Krogan Rebellions," Mordin spoke up, "countless deaths, creation of genophage. Expansion plan… problematic."

"What were the ancient Krogans like?" Shepard asked.

"Tuchanka wasn't always a wasteland" the Shamaness replied. "In the old times, the Krogans were a proud people. We had dreams… a future to look forward to."

"Until Salarian interference" Mordin surmised.

"No. We ruined Tuchanka ourselves. Technology changed us. It made life too easy. So we looked for new challenges, and found them in each other. Eventually, nuclear war was inevitable."

"And now our planet is rubble" Wrex said. "We'll need a better place to live until cleanup is done."

"I'd say helping defeat the Reapers would be worth a new planet" Shepard said.

"Or ten. You haven't seen how fast we can pop 'em out."

"Wrex…" Krogan-Eve warned.

"What?" he replied defensively. "With the genophage cured, we'll have a lot of catching up to do. Don't worry; once our numbers are high enough, we'll do what the Quarians did when they were stuck in ships: implement limits on how many children someone can have, remove those limits temporarily if our population drops below a certain point, that kinda thing."

Shepard closed his eyes in thought. After a few seconds, he spoke up. "Back on the shuttle, I tried to tell you guys… Dalatrass Linron tried to cut a secret deal with me."

"What kinda deal?" Wrex asked.

"She said they sabotaged the Shroud years ago. The cure won't work unless we fix it." He called up his Omnitool, playing a recorded fragment of his earlier conversation with the Dalatrass.

"And she thought we wouldn't know better?" Wrex asked, scowling.

"Correctly" Mordin replied. "Would likely have fooled tests. But familiar with STG work. Can adjust. Did not come this far for nothing."

"You just spared our race another genocide, Commander" Krogan-Eve said.

"I told you we could count on him" Wrex replied with a smile.

Suddenly, their Tomkah rolled to a stop. Shepard got out to investigate, finding that the entire convoy had stalled. Javik, Garrus, Liara, and Lucavi-Eve emerged from the truck behind his, and they looked out at the Shroud tower, now much closer. The sky above it looked to be tinted a greenish-gray, and the Reaper Destroyer was visible standing beside it.

"Wrex, you and Mordin stay with the female" Shepard said. "It's looking ugly out here!"

The quintet moved up, past a few Krogans waiting around, and came to one kneeling down by a damaged section of the road right in front of the lead trucks.

"What's the holdup?" Shepard asked.

"Road's out" the scout replied. "The convoy can't make it through."

Shepard looked, seeing how a significant chunk of the steel-reinforced concrete road had long since given way, the remainder looking decidedly unsafe and unstable.

"Turian wing Artimec, this is Shepard. We've been delayed by road damage; hold off your attack."

"_Negative, Commander. Our approach is locked; the Reaper already knows we're here!_"

The ground rumbled as the squadron of angular Turian fighter craft flew overhead, racing toward the Reaper Destroyer. They opened fire, their blasters doing little more than annoy the synthetic titan.

"A handful of fighters can't take down a Reaper" Garrus said. "We need to get over there."

"Damn it" Shepard turned to the scout. "I don't care if we have to build a new road; we're going!"

Suddenly, the Reaper Destroyer's main gun lanced out for a split-second, striking one of the fighters. The Turian craft careened out of control right into the convoy, sending one Tomkah flying and wrecking another.

"_Shepard, what's happening?-!_"

"Wrex, get the female out of here now! Go!"

Wrex's Tomkah floored it, racing across the damaged road. Wreav's Tomkah managed to follow, but then the road collapsed, stranding the rest of the Tomkahs behind.

"Artimec, do you copy?"

"_We have to abort, Commander! The Reaper's tearing us to pieces!_"

"Understood! Save your pilots; we'll find another way."

Liara pointed out a small tunnel on the right side of the road, and Team Shepard hurried through it, dropping down into a dark, old complex.

"Wrex, are you receiving this? Is everyone okay?"

"_Yeah, just scratches; nothing the Salarian can't patch up. Wreav's truck made it out, too._"

"The Turians had to call off the airstrike". Team Shepard started moving deeper in, activating flashlights. "We'll need a new plan for dealing with the Reaper."

"_First we'll have to find you. Where did you end up?_"

"Underground. We see ruins of some kind."

"_Commander, that's the city of the ancients_" Krogan-Eve said.

"How do we get out?"

"_No maps exist. It's been abandoned for thousands of years._"

"_You're a trailblazer, Shepard. Get through there, and we'll find a place to meet up. __**Nothing**__ will stop this cure…_"

As they advanced cautiously through the ruins, the ground trembled.

"What was that?" Garrus murmured.

Moving deeper in, they found something unexpected: ancient artwork on the walls, of three stylized Krogans kneeling before a fourth wearing ceremonial guard and wielding a staff.

"Fascinating…" Liara mused. "This painting suggests Krogans had an artistic side."

"Notice how they chose obedience as their subject" Javik observed.

They moved on, quietly and carefully moving through the millennia-old ruins. As they went down a level, the ground shook again.

"That was _not_ a ground-quake" Lucavi-Eve said.

"Wrex, are you guys feeling these tremors?" Shepard asked.

"_Not up here._"

"_It could be something else, Commander_" Krogan-Eve chimed in. "_It is said that Kalros, the mother of all thresher maws, lives in this region._"

"_Which is another reason to get your ass out of there, Shepard. Step on it!_"

"When the Krogans _name_ a thresher maw," Garrus remarked, "you _know _you're in trouble. They don't think _anyone_ is ever going to kill it."

They moved on through the ruins, passing a few more wall paintings and enduring a few more tremors. Eventually, at the foot of a stairway, they found unexpected and unwelcome: a Ravager corpse.

"Wrex, we've got Rachni Husks here. Keep an eye out."

"_I know. A few of them just attacked us. All that matters is getting to the Shroud. Find us fast._"

As they climbed the lengthy set of stairs, they finally reached daylight, emerging into a partially-outside section of the ruins.

"In my younger days," Liara said, "I would've loved to have spent time here studying these ruins."

Climbing another set of stairs, they emerged into a massive courtyard-like area. Plants grew along some of the far walls, and a path lined with statues led to a ziggurat-like building.

"Wrex, we made it back outside."

"_Well, if you can see sunlight, that's progress._"

"And the color green" Liara added. "I thought plants were extinct around here."

"_You're looking at hope,_" Krogan-Eve replied, "_all that's left of it on Tuchanka. This was once a world full of beauty. Given a chance, it can be again._"

"_Shepard, that Reaper is still up to no good at the Shroud. Find a way out of there, and we'll pick you up._"

As Team Shepard advanced a little ways, a pair of Ravagers emerged up ahead, firing their heavy cannons. Shepard and Liara formed Biotic Barriers to block the shots, and Garrus hit one of the Ravagers with an Overload, the Rachni cyber-zombie's body containing enough synthetic parts that the Overload did some damage. While the first one was stunned by the shock, Javik threw a pair of Lift Grenades at the second Ravager, the Biotic energy hoisting it into the air, and Lucavi-Eve telekinetically launched the Biotically-lightened Ravager to the side, over the edge of the hundred-+-foot drop. Shepard hit Ravager 1 with an Incinerate, burning through its 'armor', and Liara weakened it further with a Warp. Finally, sustained fire from Javik's particle rifle and Shepard's Hurricane SMG brought it down.

They hurried ahead, across the foot bridge, and six Cannibals emerged from a passage up ahead. Shepard and Liara tossed out a pair of Singularities, snatching up all six of the hostiles, and Lucavi-Eve's energy bolts and Javik & Garrus' fire took out four of them before the Singularities faded out and dropped the last two to the ground, where a few shots from Liara finished them off. A Brute came out next, shrugging off Incinerates and Warps from Shepard and Liara as it charged. Lucavi-Eve hit it with a Saber Throw that sliced off its smaller arm, and Garrus managed to shoot out one of its eyes. Javik charged at it while it was disoriented, pulling out a frag grenade and rolling it underneath the titan. The explosion tore into the Brute's stomach area, ripping it open, and Shepard fired an Incinerate into the new hole, burning the monster from the inside out until it collapsed dead. Suddenly the ground lurched and shook, a continuous vibration that felt like it was moving.

"Wrex, you're right about Kalros!" Shepard said. "She's on the move!"

"_Yeah, we've got some ideas about that. …What?_"

"_Not now, Wrex_" Krogan-Eve cut in. "_The commander has enough to worry about._"

"What's happening?"

"_Some crazy idea we can talk about later_" Wrex replied. "_Just worry about getting out of there right now._"

They moved around a corner, through an area of broken stone paths, an old stream and a few small plants. Moving ahead, they neared a path to another stone bridge, and found a squad of Cannibals and a Ravager in their way. Lucavi-Eve leapt in, using her double saber-staff to carve through the Cannibals, while Shepard and Liara kept the Ravager off-balance with Warps and Incinerates, softening it up for Javik and Garrus to bring down. With the path clear, they approached the bridge, as Wrex's Tomkah drove underneath it. … and it was followed close behind by something massive, like a giant shark's fin cutting through the earth and sand. It sliced through the center of the bridge, thankfully leaving a gap narrow enough for the squad to hop across.

"_Kalros' territorial instinct confirmed!_" Mordin remarked.

"I thought you said these things didn't get bigger than 100 meters!" Lucavi-Eve said to Liara.

"That's the average size" Liara replied. "Thresher maws continue to grow throughout their lives, as well as according to available territory. Kalros must be _thousands_ of years old to have reached such a size."

"_Go on ahead, Shepard!_" Wrex radioed. "_We'll try to shake this thing and find you!_"

"_Thresher maw getting closer!_" Mordin said, a bit panicked.

"_Yeah, I've noticed, pyjak! Hang on!_"

Team Shepard moved around the outside of the structure and into a large courtyard bordered by old Krogan statues. Another squad of Cannibals was waiting, this time with Husk support. Javik and Lucavi-Eve focused on the Husks, particle-rifle bursts and crimson energy bolts cutting the reanimated humans down, while Garrus put his Mantis rifle to work picking off Cannibals farther out, and Shepard & Liara blasted the closer ones with Incinerates and Warps.

"_Shepard – Wrex busy driving truck! Are you still alive?_"

"Doing what we can, Mordin!" Shepard replied as he blasted a Cannibal in the face with Incinerate. "What about you?"

"_Alarmed yet entertained! Kalros is quite persistent!_"

"_Wreav, stick close!_" Wrex radioed.

"_Drive faster!_" his brother replied. "_I can smell the damn thing's breath!_"

As the last hostile fell, Team Shepard rushed through the courtyard, taking 'steps' of rubble down to the sand as Wrex's truck pulled up.

"_Shepard, get over here! Wreav, keep an eye out for Kalros! I don't want her sneaking up on us!_"

"_Make it quick, Wrex! We're exposed!_"

Team Shepard hurried into Wrex's Tomkah, squeezing in with Mordin and Krogan-Eve. Suddenly, the ground rumbled, and a massive scythe-claw pierced Wreav's Tomkah from directly under it. The earth shifted, and the vehicle was pulled under, Wreav's scream over the comm. being abruptly cut off. Wrex floored the accelerator, pushing the Tomkah as fast as it could go toward the Shroud and away from Kalros.

"No way he survived that…" Wrex murmured. "Eh, he was a pain in the ass, anyway."

-_Break_-

The armored truck pulled up beside an old and well-armored facility that looked out into a large, open pathway that led straight down to the Shroud… as well as the Reaper Destroyer standing guard.

"I hope someone has a 'Plan B'…" Lucavi-Eve said, looking out at the synthetic titan standing between them and their objective.

"Vengeance is the goal…" Javik said. "…Suicide is not."

"We're curing the genophage no matter what it takes" Wrex said. "Everything my people will ever be depends on it."

"Then I hope this idea you were talking about is a good one" Shepard replied.

"It was hers, actually" he gestured to the Shamaness.

"Kalros" Krogan-Eve said. "We summon her to fight the Reaper."

"Would that even work?" Shepard asked.

"Already discussed strategy" Mordin replied. "Just need to distract Reaper, draw it from tower while cure synthesized and released."

"What makes you so sure she'll come?"

"Legends say she is the mother from which all other thresher maws spawn" Krogan-Eve said. "Even if that is false, she is still the oldest living thing on Tuchanka, having lived since long before we discovered nuclear power. This is as much her home as ours."

"If Tuchanka has a temper," Wrex added, "Kalros is it. Nobody's ever faced her and survived."

"I've taken some risks in my time," Shepard said, "but this seems crazy."

"And going head-to-head with Sovereign didn't? This is the only way to get to that tower and release the cure. There's no other choice."

"But how would we summon her?"

"The tower was built in an arena devoted to Kalros' glory" Krogan-Eve replied. "The Salarians thought she would scare away intruders."

"Appears to have worked" Mordin chimed in.

"There are two maw-hammers there, the largest in existence. If you activate them, Kalros will come. That should distract the Reaper."

"Meanwhile, laboratory nearby" Mordin said. "Will finish synthesizing cure."

"…Alright" Shepard acquiesced. "It sounds nuts, but it's our best shot. Let's make sure we all get out of here alive. We're going to have one hell of a story to tell."

"Shepard…" Wrex said. "I want you to know that no matter what happens… You've been a champion to the Krogan people, a friend of Clan Urdnot…" He shook Shepard's hand. "…And a brother to me. To every Krogan born after this day, the name 'Shepard' will mean 'hero'! Now let's show them why!"

Suddenly a pack of Ravagers came in from the right. Shepard drew his gun, but Wrex waved him aside.

"Go!" the warlord said, readying his M300 Claymore. "I've got this!" He charged, hitting a Ravager with a Biotic Throw and blasting it open with his shotgun. "_I am Urdnot Wrex! And this is MY planet!-!_"

As Mordin and Krogan-Eve headed for the lab, Team Shepard dropped into the courtyard ahead. A squad of Cannibals emerged, and Shepard & Liara tossed out Singularities that 'grabbed' most of them, leaving them open to a pair of grenades from Garrus and a Singularity-destabilizing Warp from Javik that wiped the majority out, Shepard's SMG and Lucavi-Eve's energy bolts dealing with the rest.

"_Shepard, I took care of those Rachni Husks! But someone has to raise those maw hammers before you can use them!_"

"We're kinda busy, Wrex."

"_Lucky for you, I'm here! I'll handle it._"

"_Shepard, some luck!_" Mordin called in. "_Original strain in storage. Preparing the cure now._"

Team Shepard hurried up a flight of steps and moved to cross a bridge. As soon as they started across, however, the Reaper Destroyer spotted them and fired its main gun, the crimson beam slicing downward and destroying the bridge, knocking Team Shepard into the area below, the start of a long, statue-lined walkway leading to the Shroud and to the Reaper.

"Did we just get shot at by a damn Reaper?-!" Garrus remarked.

"I remember this!" Javik said as the team started forward. "This is the easy part!"

"_You have to activate both hammers_" Wrex radioed. "_My advice is: avoid the giant laser!_"

"There's a _Reaper_ in my way, Wrex!" Shepard said as he and the team ducked behind a statue base as the statue itself was vaporized.

"_I know! You get to have all the fun!_"

They hurried forward, dodging beams of relativistic molten metal as they sprinted from cover to cover. As they neared the Destroyer, its photoreceptor glowed a baleful red as it prepared to fire, only for a barrage of mass-accelerator rounds to strike it as a squadron of Turian fighters flew in.

"_Commander, this is Artimec Wing! We'll try to give that Reaper something else to shoot at!_"

"Goddess be with them…" Liara murmured.

Team Shepard rushed into the arena, now right beneath the Reaper Destroyer, as half a dozen Brutes dropped in.

"Go!" Garrus shouted. "We'll keep these big bastards busy!"

Shepard went right, heading for one of the maw-hammers, and narrowly avoided being stepped on by the Reaper. He ran past the Brute that leapt off of the Destroyer's leg, and hit the panel for one of the hammers. Turning around, he ducked under the Brute's charging swing and hit it in the back with a full-force Biotic Throw, pushing it over the nearby ledge; the fall didn't kill it, but did take it out of the equation for the moment.

"_I've got the other hammer!_" Lucavi-Eve shouted over the comm. "_We're good to go!_"

"Everyone, back to the truck!" Shepard ordered. "I'll take care of the cure!"

The massive maw-hammers pounded the ground, sending out an infrasonic pulse that reached out for kilometers in all directions. A few seconds later, there was an echoing screech in the distance. 

"Wrex!" Shepard said. "Do we have mawsign?"

The old Krogan laughed as the rumbling drew closer. "_Shepard, we have mawsign the likes of which even the Reapers have never seen!_"

Shepard met up with Lucavi-Eve, the two of them trying to head out of the area, only for the Destroyer to block their path, letting out its deep, reverberating bass horn sound. Suddenly, the ground exploded as Kalros lunged up, latching onto the Reaper's face, her claws and acid tearing into its superstructure. The Destroyer struggled, tossing Kalros about and trying to shake her off, hundreds of meters and thousands of tons of thresher maw waving through the air as she stubbornly refused to let go. Shepard and Lucavi-Eve leapt across a gap, trying to get as much distance from the clash of the titans as they could. The Reaper slammed Kalros into the Shroud tower, knocking her off, and she went underground, dodging the Reaper's laser.

The ancient construct turned away, preparing to pursue Shepard… and then the super-maw burst up from the side, arcing through the air and tackling the Reaper so hard that it was knocked over. She pulled it to the ground, constricting around it like the galaxy's largest python, and the Reaper let out a metallic scream as the enormous pressure began to crush it while Kalros' acid and claws dug into its innards. Kalros pulled it closer, dragging it beneath the surface, and soon the Reaper's struggles ceased as it vanished underground, Kalros already beginning to consume her prey.

"They eat metal, right?" Lucavi-Eve asked.

"Yeah" Shepard replied. "I think Kalros will be enjoying that meal for quite a while. Come on."

The duo hurried to the facility at the base of the Shroud, finding a small courtyard at the base of an elevator set into the side of the tower. Small fires were burning, and explosions were beginning to tear through the massive building. Soon, Mordin arrived.

"Mordin, is the cure ready yet?" Shepard asked.

"Yes" the Salarian replied, getting to work on a console. "Loaded for dispersal in two minutes. Procedure traumatic for female, but not lethal. Maelon's research invaluable."

"She's okay?"

"Headed to safety now. Her survival fortunate. Will stabilize new government should Wrex get any ideas. Good match, promising future for Krogans. Control room at top of tower. Must take elevator up."

"You're going up there?-!" Shepard pointed up at the rapidly-deteriorating tower, explosions and debris already shooting out.

"Yes. Manual access required. Have to counteract STG sabotage. Ensure cure dispersed properly."

"Mordin, this whole thing is coming apart! There's got to be another way!"

"I think there is" Lucavi-Eve spoke up, getting the men's attention. "You know I can teleport – a 'space-bridge', the Fallen called it. I think I can manage to safely 'jump' with one person extra being pulled along for the ride. I'll go up there with Dr. Solus, and as soon as the cure's out I'll 'jump' us out to safety."

"What if you can't get out in time?" Shepard asked.

Eve was quiet for a few seconds. "I hate humans, and want to make them pay… but I won't sacrifice the existence of the Krogans to do that. …I'm sure it won't come to that, though. I can do this. Doctor, shall we?"

Mordin nodded, and the two got into the elevator as Shepard got clear. The elevator whisked them up to the top, depositing them in the control room; fires and explosions were already raging, and a computerized voice was warning about temperature malfunctions. Eve and Mordin rushed forward, the former creating a red-hued barrier to protect them both as they reached the console. Mordin immediately got to work on the console, and soon the temperature stabilized. There was a deep bass thrum, and a wave of yellowish particles began to spout out from the Shroud's tip, dispersing into the atmosphere.

Eve immediately fired a psionic pulse that shattered the nearby window overlooking Tuchanka, and grabbed hold of Mordin. There was a blur of motion, and they vanished a split-second before an explosion gutted the control room. Watching from below, Shepard startled slightly as Eve and Mordin re-emerged from the 'space bridge', rolling to a stop.

"Thrilling" Mordin said as he dusted himself off. "Excellent timing. Thank you, T'Lesh."

"You did it, Mordin" Shepard said, smiling as he looked up at the cure particles filling the sky.

The old man smiled. "Genophage cured. Krogans freed. New beginning, for all of us."

-_Break_-

"A long time ago," Wrex said as the group walked through the Hollows, "my father betrayed me in this place. His own son. He tried to kill me. So I had to kill _him_… right over there. That's what the genophage reduced us to – animals. But you two changed that today."

"Now we'll fight _for_ our children," Krogan-Eve said, "not against them. This wouldn't have been possible without either of you."

"Did many morally questionable things in lifetime" Mordin said. "Nice to finally do something unambiguously right."

"This wouldn't have happened without you, Shepard" Wrex said. "You've saved the Krogan race. Tell the Turians I'll be deploying troops to Palaven immediately. And when you're ready to kick the Reapers off Earth, you let me know. The Krogans are back in business."

"What will you do now?" Shepard asked the Shamaness.

"Spread the hope you've given us" she replied. "Even now, there are clans gathering in the Kelphic Valley. I'll go speak to them and make sure this gift isn't squandered. Thank you, both of you, for all that you've done. And know that Urdnot Bakara calls you friends."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

_**Normandy II**_**, Deck Two, War Room**

"_Hell of a thing you just pulled off, Commander_" Hackett said. "_Curing the genophage… I never thought I'd see the day._"

"Wrex has agreed to help the Turians, Admiral. We should get their full support."

"_I take it that leaves the Salarians out of the equation._"

"The cost of their support was too high, sir."

"_Well, I'll defer to your judgment on that, Commander. Let's hope we don't need them. Hackett out._"

As the connection cut, Shepard left the QEC to find Victus and Garrus waiting in the main war room.

"Commander, Urdnot Wrex has begun sending troops to Palaven" Victus reported. "You kept your end of the bargain, and now I'll keep mine. The Turian Hierarchy will stand with humanity against the Reapers."

"I'm glad we can help each other out" Shepard replied. "It's the only way we're going to win this."

"That much is certain. To that end, several dry-dock ships are ready to help build the Crucible. Garrus will coordinate them. And when the time comes to deploy it, the full measure of our fleet will be there for Earth. May the spirits watch over us all…"

"I'll start managing Turian support right away, Shepard" Garrus said as Victus left. "You must be exhausted."

"I'll sleep when I'm dead" the Commander replied.

"We both know you need a clear head to win a war. There's no room for mistakes here. You should catch some shut-eye. I'll make sure Joker doesn't launch any suicide missions."

"…Anything happens, you let me know. Just gonna grab a snack before I head off to bed."

Shepard headed out to the elevator, taking it down to the crew deck. In the small mess hall, he found someone he wasn't expecting to see here.

"I'm surprised to see you out here instead of down in your 'hole'" Shepard said.

"The engineers are working something down there" Eve replied. "I don't wanna be down there while _humans_ are moving around… At least up here, I just have to glare at them to make them leave me alone. …That is, until _you_ came right up and helped yourself to a seat beside me."

"One of these days, it's going to sink in with you that the majority of humans aren't like the ones who tortured you; you just got the worst possible first impression."

"Or maybe humans like you, who actually care about others and 'aren't like that', are the minority" she replied with a scowl. "A handful of decent people can't make up for the sins of an entire race."

Shepard sighed. "…The Cybertronians are going to be involved in this war. Will you try to cause trouble?"

"I think a lot of my hate for Optimus Prime was actually 'artificial', implanted into my head by The Fallen's power. It's worn off by now; I'm still pissed at him for killing the one who rescued me, but I don't want him dead for it anymore… Though if he keeps going on being a 'champion' for humanity…"

"So, how does it feel having helped save the Krogan race?"

"It's not like I did much; I got the Doctor out of there alive, but other than that, you and he were the big heroes of the day. But all the same… it felt pretty good…"

"Glad to hear it. I better go."

"See you around… Shepard."

Satisfied that he'd gotten Eve on a name basis instead of a disgust-tinged "human", the Commander started making his way out, snack in hand. Nearing the elevator, he almost bumped into Mordin.

"You're sticking around for a while?" he asked.

"A little while" the Salarian replied. "UNSC _Hopeful_ arriving at Citadel soon. Advanced hospital ship, will provide treatment and aid to soldiers and refugees. Going to volunteer my services with them. Will tag along with _Normandy_ until then."

"Alright, then. I'm going to try to get a little sleep. See you later, Mordin."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Realm TFM-7, Sol System, Cybertron**

Another sizable Galactic Federation fleet emerged from slipspace, joining the GalFed, SICON, and Cybertronian ships already engaging the Reapers. The Reapers were outnumbered nearly two to one, but they fought on regardless. Thankfully, the fierce resistance was forcing the invaders to focus all their efforts on Cybertron, unable to spare even a single ship to hit the Earth of this Realm further in. The fighting took place on the ground as well; Husks did little against Cybertronians, but the Reapers had managed to hack multiple non-sapient machines and turn them on the Autobots and reformed Decepticons, in addition to landing some Destroyers as well. However, under the leadership of Optimus and Megatron, the defenders were giving the invaders hell.

A Reaper Destroyer toppled over, sparks and flames shooting out of several large holes in its hull. Seconds later, Megatron ripped his way out through one of the holes, his purple optics taking one last look back inside at the monster's 'sapience core' that he had just blasted to bits. He looked up as Starscream flew in.

"Iacon is secure" the air-commander reported. "Prime and Thundercracker managed to push the enemy out of that sector."

"How goes the battle in orbit?" Cybertron's once and again 'Lord High Protector' asked.

"Not too badly, all things considered" Ironhide replied as he walked up. "Our surface-to-orbit cannons are proving invaluable, and the fleets are keeping the Reapers contained for now. They're losing ships faster than we are, but more of them keep coming through the rift."

"Have we figured out a way to force the rift closed yet?"

"Our scientists are working on a way to repurpose the Pillars to do that" Starscream replied. "Wheeljack says they're almost at a breakthrough."

"Let's hope he hurries. After all the trouble we've been through to get Cybertron's restoration going, I am _not_ about to see it ruined by these technorganic monstrosities."

"_Megatron, this is Optimus. Wheeljack and his team have finished repurposing the Pillars, but with the current situation in orbit they won't last long enough to close the rift, especially if the Reapers realize what we're doing._"

The three 'bots looked up at the flashes of light as the space battle continued. Suddenly, space-time warped as a massive vessel emerged from slipspace – a Sangheili _Divinity_-class supercarrier, the _Eternal Devotion_. The 10.7km ship started firing its plasma torpedoes and particle beams at the surprised Reapers, destroying several. The other fleets rallied, pushing back against the Reapers with renewed vigor, adding to the kill-count. Soon, a message from Harbinger came through:

"**WITHDRAW FOR NOW. YOU ARE NEEDED ELSEWHERE. YOU WILL RETURN TO THAT REALM **_**AFTER**_** OURS IS FULLY CLEANSED.**"

As one, the battered Reapers made their exodus, disengaging from space battles and lifting off from the planet's surface. The defending ships and STO cannons harassed them all the way, taking out several more, as the Reapers fled through the warp rift. With space finally clear, the modified Pillars were launched, firing a beam that struck the warp rift and destabilized it, causing it to collapse in on itself, space-time being mended.

"So… Was that it?" Ironhide said.

"That was not a retreat from a battle irrecoverably lost" Megatron observed. "It is more likely they were called back to their Realm to fight elsewhere. But for now, at least, Cybertron is safe again. Once our ships have enacted repairs, we can cross over and join the fight. Let's just hope our allies are doing as well as we have so far…"

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: We leave Shepard behind for a while to observe some of Delta Squad's adventures in the defense of Equestria.


	14. Gears Still Turning

Wanna know how much writer's-block trouble this chapter gave me? During the course of my work on it, I completed an entire _Mass Effect 3_ playthrough on Insanity. That's how much trouble it gave me. Corrections to mistakes and mistaken or missing dialogues in earlier chapters of this Book have been made; unfortunately, during my Grissom Academy playthrough, EDI said the "that'll keep the students out of danger" line instead of Javik, so that chapter still has the big "[AUTHOR COULDN'T FIND]" message. However, my playthrough obviously overtook the progression of the story in this Book by quite a bit, so mistakes made after the current point will have to wait for an eventual future playthrough months from now.

AND, while finishing up the Ravager paragraph of part 3 of this chapter and trying to beat the final Kai Leng fight on my game, I experienced a skin allergic reaction of unknown cause that got me admitted overnight to the hospital while they pumped Benadryl and prednisone and other things into me. So that ate up time, too. I have NO IDEA what I'm allergic to (dirty bedsheets & pillowcase? The red dye used in the Sudafed pills I've been taking for my cold? The cold virus itself, somehow? Stress from the Insanity playthrough (did Kai Leng give me hives)? The current heat-wave hitting the LA area?), and I haven't changed my diet or taken or touched anything new lately (though I've heard you can be fine with a medicine, object, or food for years and years but then suddenly develop allergy to it… I'm a very picky eater, and many of the things I _do_ like share ingredients; if I've become allergic to cheese, I'm SCREWED)

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

NOTE: This chapter does not take place after Tuchanka; it takes place at various points before then, with the final section being simultaneous with Shepard's activity on the Krogan homeworld.

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Equestria – Aboard HRM **_**Cumulus**_** (Equestrian Navy supply-transport airship)**

The large armored airship drifted through the sky, making its way toward its destination. In the past few months, Equestria's navy – both airships and seagoing vessels – had been given considerable upgrades thanks to tech-sharing from the DDF. In the _Cumulus_' case, the flight magic imbued into its materials that let it defy gravity was supplemented (though not 100% replaced) by powerful thrusters and Sangheili-designed antigravity technology. If one of those three sources of lift was lost, the other two could keep the ship in the air until it made a safe landing. The transport vessel was fairly well-armored but only lightly armed, relying mostly on armed crew or other, more dedicated warships for defense; a handful of turrets, some automated and some crew-controlled, dotted the vessel.

Right now, the _Cumulus_ was carrying rations and ammunition out to the frontier; a garrison was set up at Appleloosa, and word was they'd been fending off sporadic Husk attacks for a while now. They were about 45 minutes out from the frontier town now, moving slowly and taking a meandering route in the hopes of avoiding detection. A mixture of Equestrian and COG personnel were aboard as crew and defense, with the latter including the four men who made up the core of Delta Squad.

"Skies look clear so far" Dom said. "Handful of ground-troop movements way down below a few minutes ago, but I don't think they saw us."

"Don't relax yet" Marcus replied. "We've still got a ways to go. Baird, Cole, anything on your end?"

"_Nothing yet, Marcus_" Cole replied from his & Baird's position on the other side of the ship.

"_Yeah,_" Baird chimed in, "_things look clear for now, but I've got a bad feeling about… Wait… Shit! Scratch that! Harvesters coming up from below!_"

(MUSIC: _Gears of War 3 _OST – "Stalk City")

Sure enough, the metallic screech of a Harvester accompanied one of the massive Reaper flyers emerging into view right off the side of the ship from Marcus and Dom. The _Cumulus_' guns came to life, joining the ship's armed defenders in firing at the huge flyers. The Harvesters circled around the slower airship, and soon started dropping Husk forces onto the deck of the vessel. Marcus and Dom readied their M2 Lancers as a pack of Husks charged at them, gunning the cyber-zombies down before they could get too close. A pair of Cannibals dropped in and started shooting at them, only to be cut down by one of the _Cumulus'_ mounted turrets on the deck, the pegasus manning it then turning the gun on another pack of Husks.

On the other side of the main deck, Baird used his Omnitool to overload a Marauder's shields, leaving it vulnerable to a shotgun blast from Cole. He used his rifle to take out a pair of Husks trying to flank Cole, and the two of them started making their way around and across the deck to reach the other half of the team. A Cannibal that tried to get in their way was messily cut down by the chainsaw-bayonet of Cole's Lancer, and Baird sent out a Combat Drone to distract a few Husks that were chasing them. When they were halfway there, a pair of Husks dropped right in front of them, only to be brought down from behind by a blast from Dom's shotgun and a slash from Marcus' chainsaw bayonet.

"So much for the pleasure-cruise part of the journey" Marcus remarked. "Come on; let's kick these things off our ship."

The guns of the _Cumulus_ managed to finally deal fatal damage to one of the Harvesters, sending the massive long-necked beast plummeting to the ground far below. The other Harvesters continued harassing the ship, dropping off Reaper troops and occasionally firing their head-mounted heavy cannons. Automated and manned turrets fired back at the flyers and at the infantry they dropped off, as soldiers human and pony fired hand-carried and saddle-mounted weapons at the enemy boarders. One full-armored COG soldier saw a Husk charging from his left and sidestepped, sticking his leg out to trip the cyber-zombie and then putting a few rounds into it once it was down; the recent newer designs of COG armor included helmets that gave wider visual range without sacrificing protection, after the old, vision-field-impairing model had resulted in so many blind-sidings and losses to snipers during the Locust War.

A group of Cannibals led by a Marauder attacked, forcing Delta Squad to dive behind crates and walls for cover, thankful that their new armor had shields. Cole threw a grenade that killed two Cannibals and stripped the Marauder's shields, letting Dom focus fire to bring it down, while Baird took out a Cannibal that was getting too close with an Incinerate (Omnitools were fast becoming standard-issue for all DDF military personnel, but among Delta Squad only Baird regularly used his in combat, having installed the 'Engineer' four-pack of offensive programs; Dom also had an Incinerate module that he occasionally used). Support from another fireteam further away on the deck let Delta Squad catch the remaining Cannibals in a crossfire, quickly taking them down.

Marcus ran for a nearby unattended turret mounted on the deck and brought it to bear, pointing the double heavy anti-infantry machineguns at the mass of enemy boarders. The powerful guns ripped through the Husk lines, cutting down the human, pony, and Batarian cyber-zombies in seconds. Elsewhere on the ship, heavy weapons were finally brought out from below, being put to use against Marauders and Harvesters, the latter also being continuously fired at by the _Cumulus_' larger turret-guns.

Before long, the Harvesters and most of the Husk forces had been slain with minimal casualties amongst the defenders. However, as the battle seemingly wound down, there was suddenly a deep, metallic roar that echoed through the sky. Confused and anxious, the humans and ponies aboard looked around for the source. One marine looked down over the port edge of the ship… and his face went pale as he saw what was coming up.

(BOSS MUSIC: _Mass Effect 3 _OST – "Infected, Large, and Hungry")

A massive shape flew up from the left, huge wings stirring the wind. The titanic creature, nearly half again the size of a Harvester, was covered in armored scales tinted metallic black with glowing blue lines, advanced machinery and cybernetics visible all over its body. The wings glowed blue with element zero, and two vibrant blue optics were set above a mouth containing silvery machinery set within huge metallic teeth. The beast let out a mighty roar, deep and synthetic-sounding. Upon seeing and recognizing the monster and what it had once been, anxiety turned to outright fear through the majority of the crew, and the marine who'd been first to spot it cried out:

"_DRAGON HUSK!-!-!_"

The huge Husk-form flew forward in a wide arc, circling around to the left, and then turned and flew straight toward the _Cumulus_ from the front, firing a wave of explosive plasmic blasts similar to those fired by Geth Colossi as it passed over the ship, the blasts leaving scorched plating and a few shallow holes in the deck, as well as blowing a pair of too-slow marines to charred bits. The monster dove beneath the ship from behind, and a few seconds later it emerged right in front of the ship, its arms' huge claws digging into the wood and metal as it hung on. The blue lights along its throat glowed, and it breathed out a stream of electrified fire that simultaneously roasted and electrocuted a half-dozen human and pony soldiers before they could even try to get out of the way. Heavy gunfire from numerous turrets pounded against the Dragon-Husk's upper body, and it let out a short screech as it let go and took to the air again, circling around to the ship's portside.

The beast attacked from behind, shooting right over the top of the _Cumulus_, dropping another wave of explosive blasts that chained up the length of the ship, doing more damage, destroying a turret, and killing a couple more people. Gunfire from the turrets and a few unicorn-magic bolts struck the monster's armored body as it passed, but did little damage. The Dragon-Husk breathed another blast of electrified fire at the side of the ship, burning/melting a hole in the outer hull before concentrated shots forced it away.

It returned its attention to the open-air deck, landing atop the _Cumulus_ with a thud that seemed to shake the whole ship. Overloads and Incinerates from the few combat-capable Omnitools onboard struck it in the face, while heavy fire from any turrets that could hit it chipped away at its metal and dragon-scale armor. The dragon cyber-zombie fired a blast at Marcus, who swore as he dived away just before the turret he'd been manning was wrecked. Switching to his Lancer, he and the others focused fire on the monster's head, trying to do at least some damage. However, the Dragon-Husk took very little, being more annoyed than anything else. A rocket suddenly struck it in the back end from behind, and in response it snarled and speared its tail out – now tipped with a long and thin electrified spike – and impaled the soldier who'd fired the rocket; with a swing of the tail, the man was then flung over the edge of the ship.

"We need something big to take this thing out!" Dom shouted, ducking under an energy blast.

"Baird!" Marcus called. "Is there anything in this ship's cargo we can use?"

"Just a sec…" Baird checked the manifest on his Omnitool. "Ooh, that'll do. Marking a nav-point for you, Marcus. Hurry and go get it before this bastard tears the ship apart!"

As Fenix ran for a nearby door and disappeared into the ship, following the marker Baird had sent him, the rest of the squad worked with the other soldiers aboard the airship to continue trying to cause any notable harm to the Dragon-Husk. Someone brought out a launcher and fired two rockets at the massive Husk's underside, and the monster roared and took off again, beats of its huge wings kicking up a powerful gust that swept across the deck as it dove to the side. Flying along to the right of the ship, it fired a 'broadside' of explosive plasmic blasts that blew a few more chunks out of the ship's side. A few rockets were fired by soldiers on the ship, but the monster barrel-rolled to avoid them. The Dragon-Husk circled around the _Cumulus _for the next couple minutes, firing energy blasts and bursts of electrified fire at the ship and its crew.

"I got it!" Marcus called out as he emerged back onto the deck, carrying a rather large weapon, bulky and with a radioactivity symbol painted on the side. "Can't hit him when he's buzzing around like this, though. We gotta find a way to hold him still for a bit!"

"On it, sir!" a unicorn stallion soldier replied, before turning to his fellows. "Alright, boys & girls! Maneuver F-C2! Get ready!"

The Dragon-Husk began to fly over the _Cumulus_ again, but this time a multitude of unicorns reached out and simultaneously grabbed hold of it with their telekinetic magic, straining as they put their all into holding the creature in place. Marcus quickly readied the M920 Cain, pointing it up at the thrashing beast and holding the trigger down. An electronic whine and beeping sounds began to steadily climb as warning lights accompanied increasing heat and a growing glow at the weapon's barrel over the next several seconds. Finally, just as the Dragon-Husk broke free of the unicorns' hold, the Cain fired its shot right at the beast's upper chest. The combination of powerful explosives in the shell and the projectile's low-relativistic velocity made for a tremendously powerful explosion, a flash of light and a shockwave that knocked everyone off their feet accompanying the incredible energy of the blast. The Dragon-Husk's upper torso was near-completely obliterated, its mangled and melting head being sent flying off in one direction while the blasted and partially-vaporized rest of the body fell the other way, bouncing off the side of the ship and plummeting to the ground far below. The surviving soldiers and crew of the ship cheered.

"Okay," Marcus said as the Cain opened vents to disperse heat, "now that the 'interruption' is dealt with, we've got a delivery to complete."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Appleloosa**

From atop the north lookout tower he was currently in, Damon Baird looked out at the desert bordering the small town, tinted red by the setting sun. Delta Squad had been here for the past few days, being dropped off along with supplies by the _Cumulus_ before the transport ship then flew off to perform missions elsewhere. The frontier town had been converted into an outpost of sorts, defensive emplacements set up and buildings fortified; civilians unwilling or unable to act as militia were holed up in underground shelters in the heart of the town. Reaper ground forces occasionally launched light attacks, scouts mostly, and were quickly repulsed, but the COs present were worried that a big one was coming sooner or later.

Baird leaned back in his seat as he yawned… and his eyes went wide as this enabled him to see the Reaper troop-transport ship that was flying a few kilometers overhead. 'Maybe it doesn't see us…' he thought. 'Yeah… It's just gonna drift on by, go somewhere else…'

(MUSIC: _Gears of War 3 _OST – "Hammer, Meet Anvil")

Then, he spotted reddish streaks of light coming closer from beneath the ship, and as he zoomed in his fears were confirmed: Reaper troop drop-pods, and _lots_ of them, all dropping right toward Appleloosa and the surrounding area.

"Shit!" he scrambled to activate his radio and broadcast to all personnel in the town. "We've got a troop-transport overhead dropping a horde of Husk forces on us! This is not a joke, not a drill! Everyone, battle stations!"

Every soldier throughout the town readied weapons, many of them looking up and spotting the incoming Husk pods. Most of them looked to be dropping in just north of the town, where the defenses were comparatively weakest and there were some rocks for approaching attackers to use as cover, and so the rest of Delta Squad headed there, arriving just as the first wave of pods crashed down a few dozen meters out. After a few seconds, Baird's sniper rifle let out a 'crack', and a Marauder collapsed with the top half of its head missing. The Cannibals ran for cover in the rocks, a few of them being picked off before they could reach it, while basic Husks charged right in, being gunned down en masse but still getting worryingly close to the defenders' lines.

Marcus brought down two Cannibals that were close together, while next to him Dom's shotgun boomed as he blasted a Husk. Soon another wave of drop-pods came in, and this time a significant number of pony Husks were deposited onto the battlefield. The Husks made from earth ponies were almost identical to human-form Husks in behavior and ability, working to simply charge into melee range and beat their targets to death. Unicorn Husks fired bolts of energy from their twisted, sharpened horns, while pegasus-Husks slashed with blade-edged wings and released short-ranged pulses of electrical energy. The defending soldiers stood strong, pony soldiers determinedly aiding their human allies in gunning down the cyber-zombies that were once members of their two species. The faint sounds of gunfire behind the defenders told of how a small number of Husk pods had landed at other entry points or even in the town itself, to be set upon by other defending forces.

Suddenly a drop pod deposited something that Delta Squad hadn't seen before: a huge, burly Husk with an oversized right arm and a head that looked mismatched with its body. The Brute began to advance, some shots actually bouncing off the Turian-Krogan Husk's armored hide as it slowly marched toward the defensive line. Then, however, one of the local buffalo warriors marched up to join the defense, his heavy footsteps made heavier by the two very large guns carried on his strong back and shoulders. The two big guns fired large-caliber, armor-piercing shells meant to be used against light vehicles, punching through the Brute's heavy armor. The beast growled as it staggered, and then roared as it made a final desperate charge. However, the volume of fire proved too much for it, and it collapsed dead just in front of the defenders.

The monsters kept coming, Marauders directing the fire of Cannibals and unicorn-Husks while human-, pegasus-, and earth-pony Husks moved in close. Baird overloaded the shields of a Marauder and Dom then hit it with an Incinerate, while Marcus threw a grenade that took out four human-Husks and wounded a Cannibal, and Cole used his Lancer to chainsaw through a Husk that got too close. The buffalo warrior's heavy cannons were a big help, taking out clusters of Husks and keeping the gun-wielding cyber-zombies' heads down.

Watching how he and his comrades were holding the line solidly against the attackers, Marcus felt like this battle might go very well by this war's standards. Suddenly, however, that thought was dispelled from his head by a deep, metallic bass horn that resounded across the desert, as a Reaper Destroyer dropped in around two kilometers out, its huge red optic looking right at the town. The titan began to 'slowly' (its huge strides meant it still covered plenty of ground) walk toward the settlement, the glow of its eye brightening. After a few seconds it fired, its crimson beam slicing upwards and through the east edge of the town, obliterating five buildings and a dozen soldiers. The Destroyer continued its inexorable approach, even as Husk forces continued dropping in and throwing themselves at the defenders, trying to soften them up. Soon the Reaper began charging another shot, and this time Marcus felt like it was looking right at him as its eye glowed brighter and brighter…

There was a sudden 'bolt' that shot down from the sky above and behind the defenders, impacting the Reaper Destroyer in the 'face' at an angle with a mighty explosion. The badly-wounded synthetic monster struggled to remain functioning, sparks and wrecked metal shooting out, until a few seconds later a second shot struck it, punching clean through; explosions tore through the Destroyer as it collapsed, quite dead. Soon, a third shot took out the troop-transport ship high above, tearing through its power core. The defenders breathed a sigh of relief as they realized a UNSC ship had noticed what was going on from low orbit and lent its MAC to the cause.

A final wave of Husk drop-pods, launched by the enemy ship just before its destruction, dropped in on the battlefield. Two Brutes were among this last wave, along with at least four Marauders in addition to more Husks and Cannibals. The buffalo-tribe warrior focused his cannons' fire on one of the Brutes, but that left the other for everyone else to deal with. Delta Squad concentrated fire on the Brute, but it took little damage and now was heading right for them. Dom and Baird fired Incinerates, weakening the beast's armor, but it kept coming. It charged, swatting aside a Husk that got in its way, and Dom dove out of its way, barely avoiding a swing of its crushing claw. The grenade that Dom had left behind detonated right underneath the Brute, the explosion and shrapnel ripping into its underside and doing quite a bit of damage. The Brute growled as it staggered, pieces falling out as its synthetic eyes glared at Dom. It prepared to make one last charge, but then an Overload from Baird stunned it long enough for Cole to rush in and use his rifle's chainsaw-bayonet to slice the beast's head off.

As the other Brute fell to grenades and the buffalo's heavy cannons, Baird sent out a Combat Drone to harass the now-three Marauders, weakening their shields and distracting them long enough for him to line up a sniper shot that took one out. The other two fell to concentrated fire, and the Husks and Cannibals were next. Before long, the area was clear as the enemy attack finally came to an end.

"Well, that was straightforward enough" Marcus said. "Let's hope it stays that way…"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Outside Las Pegasus**

A sizable DDF force stood ready as defense outside the city; Equestrian, COG, UNSC, and Sangheili soldiers, defenses, and vehicles all prepared to intercept the huge horde of Reaper air and ground forces that had been detected heading for Las Pegasus, to hold them off at least until evacuation was complete. Marcus Fenix looked around at the defensive line – a couple hundred soldiers of various races, trenches and barricades set up for cover, heavy guns (both manned and automated) at regular intervals, even a handful of tanks. Partnered with the eight-person Delta Squad (the 'core four' plus Samantha Byrne, Anya Stroud, Jace Stratton, and Clayton Carmine) were two DDF combat mages: Sunset Shimmer, who seemed to prefer her human form around 95% of the time, had a COG Lancer but had swapped out her other, older COG weapons for a UNSC M90A shotgun and a Systems Alliance M6 Carnifex heavy pistol, while Reisen just had her two plasma blades and a Sangheili Type-55 'Storm Rifle'. Making ready for the oncoming storm, Reisen and Sunset stood side by side and shared a quick smile to each other; they had actually become rather good friends in the past few months. Though, more often than not, the rabbit _Yōkai_ was still not in the best of moods; she had been _just_ about to head to her home Realm and challenge her old 'master' for revenge when the Reapers hit, and she knew this war could take months to resolve.

Everyone checked their weapons, watching and waiting; due to various geological factors and some dust kicked up into the air by wind, visibility in the direction the enemy would be coming from was only about 800 meters. The blowing of wind, the rustling of gear, and the whispers of a few conversations, as well as the faint noises of the in-progress evacuation a kilometer behind them in the city, made up the ambient sound. Suddenly, that ambience was broken by the metallic shrieks of Harvesters, distant but growing closer. Soon, the first three of the huge flyers became visible emerging from the dust and rocks ahead, two carrying Husk forces.

(MUSIC: _Gears of War 3 _OST – Paradise Found (from 1:02 on))

"All right, people, this is it! We hold this position until the evac is complete, no matter how long that takes!"

"Or until we're all wiped out to the last man, the Reapers laughing at our pathetic attempt to protect people and then marching on the city and killing everyone anyway" a pessimistic pony soldier replied.

"Shut it, Private!" a Sergeant snapped. "If you're gonna think like that, then get the hell off the battlefield!"

A pair of UNSC M808 Scorpion tanks turned their 90mm heavy cannons on the Harvesters, managing to blow one (and its Husk cargo) out of the sky and wound the other two. Soldiers ducked into cover as the remaining Harvesters' head-mounted guns opened fire, while a pack of basic Husks dropped from one of the beasts and charged the line. A plasma mortar from one of the four Sangheili Type-26 'Wraith' tanks wiped them out, while the Scorpions brought down the two Harvesters.

Then the main force arrived, a horde of Husks of all types coming over the hill and through the dust, using the rocks that littered the area as cover. Marauders, Cannibals, and unicorn-husks fired to force many of the defenders to get down, giving the melee-oriented Husk types time to get closer. The tanks were not affected, however, and Wraith plasma-mortars quickly decimated the initial Husk charge. The defenders rallied and returned fire. Sunset took out a few Husks that got close with her Carnifex, while Reisen focused her Storm Rifle's fire to bring down a Marauder. Baird and Anya started picking off Marauders and Cannibals with their long-range rifles, while Cole and Jace kept them covered from Husks with their shotguns.

As more Reaper ground troops emerged from the dust to reinforce those already engaged, about 50 meters down the defensive line from Delta Squad, the three present Project Corona agents – Sigma, Kappa, and Zeta – fired their own weapons at the horde; Agent Sigma's grenade launcher made short work of Cannibals, while the pegasus mare Agent Kappa wielded an SMG that she put to good use against Husks, and the unicorn stallion Agent Zeta fired electrified bolts from his horn at Marauders. Between Corona and Delta, Reisen released a wave of mana bolts that zigzagged through the air, making them harder to predict and dodge as they tore through a Husk pack, while beside her Sunset took out a few Cannibals with precision Lancer fire.

As he gunned down a Marauder, Marcus spotted a new type of Husk, standing on four insect-like legs, with multiple orange-hued bulbous sacs or something on it, and two cannons mounted on top. The Ravager screeched and started firing its big guns, killing a couple soldiers and keeping the others' heads down. A few soldiers fired on it, but its thick armor meant they did little damage; one soldier's shots punctured one of the sacs, and five 'Swarmers' emerged and started scurrying toward the defensive line. Full-auto weapons opened fire on the little bugs, taking most of them out; one exploded into acid as it leapt onto a soldier's face, the man screaming and flailing for a second before the Ravager's cannon shot blew his head apart. Incinerate blasts from Baird and Dom detonated and burned through the Ravager's armor, weakening it, and then a grenade from Marcus finished it off.

Another Harvester joined the party, its large wings kicking up dust as it flew low. The tanks were too busy dealing with infantry rushes to lend their guns to taking the huge flyer down, so it was able to land and start firing its head-mounted cannons, killing three soldiers before they could duck into cover. Small-arms fire did little damage, and a rocket fired at the Harvester was shot out of the sky by its guns before it could hit. Reisen conjured and fired a wave of mana bolts that corkscrewed through the air and struck the Harvester in the face, temporarily blinding it, and that gave Sunset time to cast _Jaculatio Ignis_, launching a dozen large solidified Fire-magic spears that skewered the Harvester at multiple points, including the point where its head & neck connected and the power core in its chest. The beast toppled over, the fire-magic constructs beginning to burn it from the inside out.

Six more Ravagers came as part of the next wave, half of them focusing fire on one of the Scorpions while the other half shot at exposed marines and turrets, killing a few of the former and wrecking a few of the latter. The targeted tank's armor was soon showing some noticeable damage, and when some of the other tanks turned their fire on the attackers, other Husks sacrificed themselves to protect the Ravagers from the hits. Finally, a Wraith mortar took one of them out, but the others kept shooting. Sunset teleported in amongst the other tank-targeting Ravagers and rammed a grenade into the carapace of one of them, then leapt to another and blasted its face with her shotgun. She 'ported back to her place on the line as the grenade went off, ripping the one Ravager apart and also wounding & disorienting the other nearby Husks. A concentrated Wraith mortar barrage took out the other three Ravagers and their guards.

Suddenly, the ground began to noticeably tremble. The trembling gradually grew stronger, and some of the soldiers paled as they realized it was giant footsteps. Soon, a glowing red point was visible through the air thick with dust, gradually growing brighter/closer, until the Reaper Destroyer finally got close enough to be seen in its full and terror-inducing glory. It fired its main gun in a sweeping motion, killing two-dozen soldiers and destroying one of the Wraiths. Every gun that wasn't too busy fending off Husks was turned on the Destroyer's 'face', forcing it to fold its forward armor plates into place in order to protect its eye, preventing it from firing. In response, the Husk forces upped their attack, trying to force the defenders to target them exclusively so their 'master' could attack again. Unfortunately, it was working, the defenders being forced to stop attacking the Reaper and turn their guns on the Husks to prevent being overrun. The Destroyer's front 'plates' opened, its crimson eye/weapon glowing brighter…

Suddenly there was a flash of blue high overhead accompanied by a loud whoosh/boom. A gust of wind blew away the dust, revealing the _Sanghelios_-class battlecruiser that had just jumped in, its ventral energy projector already glowing with charging power. The Reaper Destroyer barely had time to look up before the beam shot down, spearing clean through the ancient monster and burning a hole into the ground beneath it. The shockwave raced out, flattening most of the Husks, while mages and unicorns cast a powerful defensive barrier that protected the defenders. The few Husks still able to get up and fight were promptly hit with a barrage of heavy gunfire from the defenders, clearing the field.

"_Defensive forces, the last civilian evac transport is away_" someone said over general comm. "_I report, the last evac transport is away._"

"Damn, that was perfect timing!" Jace said, looking up at the Sangheili ship. "How'd they know we needed help?"

"Because I told them, of course!"

Delta Squad spun around, and saw Discord casually leaning against a Brute corpse.

"I spotted the Destroyer approaching before you all could feel its steps, and I found a ship that wasn't too busy with other matters. I told the Ship-Master what was happening, and he came in to help as soon as he was available."

"Never thought I'd _ever_ be saying this," Sunset said, "but thanks, Discord."

"No problem, dearie! Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go turn the road a Husk troop is marching down into slippery soap, and watch the oh-so-scary cyber-zombies slip & slide around for a bit. Toodles!"

He vanished in a flash of white light.

"Well… I won't look a gift horse in the mouth" Marcus remarked. "Come on, let's report back to command. I'm sure they'll have something else for us to do…"

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: Shepard & co. return to the Citadel, but something is very wrong…


	15. Coup

So, my allergic reaction went from "hideous, huge hives all over most of my body" to, once they were gone, "blotchy and sore hands, swollen and edemic and very sore feet". Great. And neither I nor any of my doctors still have any clue what the reaction was to – a food, a medicine, a virus…

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Realm ME-N7, **_**Normandy II**_**, Captain's Quarters**

Shepard awoke with a start, the memories of the nightmare still fresh in his head – the dull-grey, ash-choked forest of dead trees under thick dark-grey clouds, shadowy black wispy specters whispering unintelligibly while slowly drifting around, the little boy looking up at him and bursting into flames, rendered into a scorched skeleton that then crumbled to smoldering ash right in front of him… He shook his head, setting down the datapad he'd fallen asleep holding, and a few seconds later the doorbell chimed.

"It's open" he called out.

"Shepard," Liara said as she walked in, "there's something you need to hear. …Is this a bad time?"

"I keep seeing this one little boy in my dreams…"

"A little boy?"

"Couldn't have been more than seven. I tried to help him back on Earth, but he said nobody could help him anymore. When we were taking off, I saw him climb aboard an evac shuttle… and I saw that shuttle get blown to bits by a Reaper right in front of me. And now, every time I sleep, I…"

"Shepard… I'm so sorry."

"…Didn't you have something I needed to hear?"

"The Salarian Councilor has an urgent matter."

"Let me guess: he called the comm. room?"

"The Council must be taking the Crucible seriously. I'll see you downstairs."

Shepard cleaned himself up a bit, making himself look a bit more presentable, and then headed down a deck to the QEC room. Councilor Valern's hologram was already waiting.

"_Commander, there is something we need to discuss… if you are finished rewriting history._"

"I made my decision, Councilor. There's not much anyone can do about it now."

"_Yes, we're going to have billions more Krogans in the galaxy. It's a good thing you saved my life once, Shepard. Otherwise… well. I have concerns about humanity's representative, Councilor Udina. My agents have discovered that he's using his authority to move vast sums of money. For what purpose, we're not sure._"

"If Udina's dirty, it's best we get to the bottom of it fast."

"_Agreed. Come to the Citadel at your earliest convenience. We will review the evidence and discuss this in private. Valern out._"

"_Commander,_" Traynor said over the intercom just as Valern's connection ended, "_Admiral Hackett wants us to investigate something on Noveria…_"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Horsehead Nebula, Pax System, Noveria**

**SCAN: **"**_Noveria_**_ is a small, frozen terrestrial world, barely habitable by conventional definitions. It is privately chartered by the Noveria Development Corporation, who lease out labs to perform research too dangerous or controversial to be performed elsewhere. The Reaper War has brought significant attention to this otherwise obscure planet. Noveria is home to some of the most advanced research in the galaxy, a sure magnet for Cerberus interest. Further, Noveria's mass relay is the stop between the humans' Exodus Cluster and the beginning of Salarian space. It is a safe bet that the Salarians will defend their borders to the utmost._"

As the Kodiak carried Shepard, EDI, and Kal'Reegar down through the snowy skies, Admiral Hackett's face appeared on the holographic viewscreen.

"_Commander, Cerberus has a strategic advantage in this sector, thanks to the fighter squadron facility you're about to attack. We want to seize it, but their air defenses are too strong for our frontal assault. Losses would be too cost-prohibitive._"

"How do you want me to handle this?"

"_Go in the back, bring down their defenses so we can send in the troops. Good luck, Commander._"

"I have visual contact" Cortez reported. "There's a small platform above the main landing pad. I can drop you there, but it's gotta be _now_."

"Let's do it."

The Kodiak zipped in, hovering a few feet above the platform, and the trio jumped out, weapons ready. Up ahead, a half-dozen Cerberus troops emerged onto a catwalk a level up, already starting to fire down on Team Shepard as they got into cover. Shepard leaned out and tossed a Singularity that snatched three of them up, leaving them vulnerable to machine-precision shots from EDI, while Kal took out two more with his modded Avenger, and Shepard used his N7 Eagle to kill the last.

Moving forward and left, they hurried down a ramp, Shepard using a Biotic Throw to launch two Cerberus Troopers in the way over a nearby railing. They reached the control room guarded by two Centurions and four standard Troopers, and Shepard & EDI overloaded the Centurions' shields as Kal tossed a couple of grenades in, the blasts and shrapnel killing one Centurion and two Troopers and disorienting the rest. Shepard and EDI ran in with SMGs drawn, gunning down the survivors and clearing the control room.

"Damn it" Shepard looked at one of the two control terminals against the wall. "This'll take a while."

"_Commander, you've got hostiles inbound, and we can't wait. Someone's gotta get those defenses down ASAP._"

"EDI, get on it."

"Yes, Commander" the AI replied, getting to work.

"_Get ready, Commander. You're gonna get swarmed. I've been flushed from cover; retreating to minimum safe distance._"

"No problem, Cortez. Get out of there."

Cortez's reply was cut off by interference, a local radio-jamming effect taking hold. Seconds later, Cerberus troops started filing in through both entrances. Shepard and Reegar each covered an entryway, the Quarian's shotgun taking out a Centurion while Shepard's SMG gunned down two Troopers. Shepard then sent a Combat Drone over to aid Kal, the little construct's shock stunning a Trooper and allowing Kal to dodge the hostile's now-wild fire and gun him down. On the other side, Shepard used a Biotic 'push' to blow away the smoke from a Centurion's smoke grenade and knock the shielded enemy off-balance, letting him overload the Centurion's shields and put an N7 Eagle round through his forehead. Kal'Reegar fired a Carnage shot that blew a Cerberus Trooper's chestplate open and shattered half the man's ribs, and then drew his pistol and shot another Trooper who'd been trying to sneak around and flank him.

"_Defense system deactivation prioritized_" the base VI announced. "_Awaiting shutdown command._"

"Commander, shutdown requires synchronized input" EDI said.

Shepard hurried to the console adjacent to EDI's, and on the count of three they triggered the shutdown command. Readings showed that the base's AA guns were offline, and would remain so for quite a while thanks to EDI adding a little something extra. The trio then hurried back outdoors, finding a sizable force of Cerberus soldiers – including an Engineer and at least one Nemesis – waiting. Seeing that the Engineer was preparing to set up a turret, EDI immediately hit him with an Overload followed by precision SMG fire to bring him down. At the same time, Shepard took out the Nemesis in the same way, while Kal'Reegar used his shotgun to clear out a few of the basic Troopers.

"_Commander, Cortez here._" The pilot's voice was fuzzed with static."_I'm trying to break through the interference._"

"I hear you, Cortez. Come in."

"_There you are, Commander. Had to get through the interference. Area clear. Signaling the strike-force. …Wait; scan's picking up something coming your way._"

With a mighty thud, a Cerberus Atlas dropped in on the landing pad. The large mech's cannon-fire forced Team Shepard into cover, and Shepard sent out a Combat Drone to provide distraction. The little drone started firing its shock-blaster and mini-rockets at the Atlas, chipping away at its shields and dodging attempts to stomp, shoot, or swat it. Shepard and EDI pitched in with Overloads, bringing the Atlas' shields the rest of the way down, and in response it scored a lucky shot that destroyed the Drone and then fired a rocket that forced Shepard & EDI back into cover, the proximity of the blast partially draining their shields. Kal'Reegar leaned out and fired a Carnage blast that left a small scorch-mark on the Atlas' upper chestplate and a small crack in the reinforced cockpit window; the Atlas' return fire forced the Quarian back into cover quickly.

Shepard rolled out of cover and performed a Biotic Charge that carried him to right behind the Atlas. He unloaded his SMG on the armored power-core on the back, the rounds quickly beginning to do some damage. In response, the Atlas spun and tried to hit him with a backhand strike, but he ducked and rolled under it. EDI came running up next, and the Atlas fired, only to see its shot pass right through; the pilot had fallen for a decoy. The _real_ EDI had used the brief moment to get in behind the Atlas and unleash a max-strength Overload directly into its damaged power core. The Atlas seized up, small explosions chaining through it, and EDI & Shepard got some distance just before the mech violently exploded, blowing its pilot to bits along with it.

"_Scans clear, Commander. The strike force is inbound and will assume control of the station. Coming to pick you up._"

**-**_**Break**_**-**

_**Normandy II**_**, Deck Two, QEC Room**

"_This was a major victory, Commander_," Hackett said, "_a crippling blow to Cerberus operations in this sector. Now all we have to do is maintain control of the facility._"

"Cerberus won't make that easy" Shepard replied.

"_And we won't make it easy on them. Thanks to you, we can use their own defenses against them. You did good, Commander. Hackett out._"

"_Commander,_" Traynor chimed in as the Admiral's hologram vanished, "_Diana Allers wants an interview regarding the recent events on Tuchanka…_"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

"Alliance Control, this is SSV _Normandy_, are we cleared to descend?"

As Shepard entered the cockpit, there was no response from control. Joker looked over his shoulder at Shepard and shook his head.

"Alliance Control, this is _Normandy_, we're headed to Bay 1-4, Zakera Ward. Are we cleared to descend?"

Nothing.

"What the hell's going on down there? Even if there were a station malfunction, they'd have backups online. I've got a bad feeling here. Checking emergency channels…"

"Where's the Citadel Defense Fleet?" Shepard said. "I'm not seeing their transponders on the scanners…"

"Hold up a sec, Shep, I've got someone. Hey! …Yeah, this is Joker. …Uh-huh… Shit, no kidding? Commander, it's Thane. I think you'll wanna hear this."

"Put him through."

"_Shepard. The Citadel is under attack. Cerberus troops are everywhere, and they're in control of the docks._"

"Are you safe?"

"_No. They sent a team of Biotic commandos – Phantoms, the troopers called them – after me at the hospital; I killed two but had to retreat when reinforcements arrived. I'm in a Presidium storefront._"

"Did Williams make it out?"

"_We got separated. She said she had to protect the Council. I'm going to C-Sec headquarters._"

"Why there?"

"_It's been compromised, and C-Sec's response depends on it. As long as Cerberus is holding the headquarters, they have the station._"

"All right. Joker, get us away from the docks and close to C-Sec HQ. We'll deploy in the shuttle."

**-**_**Break**_**-**

The Alliance Kodiak raced through the airspace of the Presidium, flying through air tainted by smoke and the occasional bullet, over the water reservoir polluted by debris and blood. It passed numerous firefights between Cerberus forces and odd C-Sec personnel, some of the latter outfitted with high-end weapons courtesy of the DDF but still outnumbered and in inferior positions. The shuttle hung a hard right into a narrow fly-way, soon arriving at the landing pads outside Citadel Security's entrance. A firefight was already raging, C-Sec and Cerberus troops exchanging fire. Unfortunately, the invaders were winning; dead C-Sec officers were all over, though they hadn't gone quietly. Near the entrance of the building, Commander Bailey and a few of his men were trying to get inside while holding off the attackers, but were overcome, Bailey holding a hand to his stomach area as he slumped against a wall while his men took shots to the hearts or heads.

The Kodiak touched down, and Team Shepard – the Commander, Garrus, and James – leapt out and slid into cover. Shepard used his N7 Valiant to pick off the Troopers near the door, preventing the wounded Bailey from being executed, while Garrus took out an Engineer trying to set up a turret and James threw a frag grenade that killed a trio of Troopers and de-shielded a Centurion. Shepard and James made their way forward from place to place while Garrus covered them, the Turian taking out three Troopers trying to drop in from a busted window above the door. A Centurion tried to get Shepard from the side, but the Commander ducked and spun under the attack and hit the Cerberus soldier with a Biotic Punch that sent him flying into a wall. Garrus moved up to join the other two as one last Trooper team was gunned down.

"Shepard…" Bailey spoke up, wincing. "Thought you were in trouble for a sec."

"What are you doing here?" Shepard asked him as James treated the C-Sec officer with medigel.

"Getting my ass shot off tryin' to retake headquarters. Cerberus took it in the first push. We gotta kick them out of there; everyone in C-Sec's flying blind without the network."

"How bad's the situation?" Garrus asked. "Do you know if the Councilors are alive?"

"They split up" Bailey replied as Shepard helped him up. "I'll know more if I can access a terminal inside. Lemme get the door… if nobody interrupts me with a bullet this time…"

Bailey keyed in the commands and opened the door, and everyone filed in with weapons ready. Bailey limped over to the front desk beneath a bullet-marred C-Sec logo, sitting down at the active console and getting to work.

"Here we go" he said. "C-Sec network access, courtesy of Cerberus."

"How's that gonna help?" Shepard asked.

"Cerberus has control of the main channels, but I can set up a new one. Without it, our people have no plan and no chance. …Hello…"

"What have you got?"

"A warning from Councilor Valern. He's supposed to be here, meeting with the executor. 'Be on guard; the likelihood of betrayal from within is high'… Not a lot else. But if he's inside…"

"Why would the Councilor be meeting with the executor?"

"Usually it means someone big's about to be prosecuted. I guess that 'someone' had Cerberus friends."

"The Councilor mentioned Udina," Garrus spoke up, "but that's _insane_. Does he even have this kind of pull?"

"Only he'd have the answer to that."

"One Councilor's better than zero" Shepard said. "Where am I headed?"

"He could be in the executor's office" Garrus suggested. "It's a fairly defensible position."

"Before you go, hold up a sec…" Bailey brought up his Omnitool, synching it with Shepard's. "There, now we can talk to each other. Go!"

"Right. …Thane, did you get all that?"

"_Yes. I'm nearing the building but I've had to evade a few heavy patrols. I'll try to get to you._"

"_Shepard!_" a new voice popped in from a different channel.

"…Aria?"

"_I saw your transmitter was on the station. Cerberus bastards thought they could take Purgatory; I showed them who they were dealing with. I've hooked up with Gryll, Vosque, and Sayn; we're coordinating a response by their gangs and my people against Cerberus. They've launched a few more attacks on Purgatory, but we're holding strong for the moment. Our forces are operating in groups through the wards and docks; they've been giving Cerberus a few headaches._"

"Establish a link with Commander Bailey; see if you can work with C-Sec to coordinate a larger defense or counterattack."

"_Normally I'd ask if you're crazy for saying to work __**with **__galactic law enforcement, but in this situation I'll get right on it._"

"Good. …Alenko? Kaidan, can you hear me?"

"_Yes, Commander. I and a few other Spectres have secured Bay E-24; we're guarding civilians and treating wounded here. Only a few casualties so far, but if they keep pushing…_"

"Well, maybe when they realize I'm here they'll take some of the heat off you and come after me instead. Have you heard anything about the Citadel Defense Fleet?"

"_They headed out to the edge of the system about 20 minutes before the attack started; I think someone lured them out there or gave false orders. Also, I can't get a hold of Ashley._"

"Ashley's with Sparatus, Tevos, and Udina; Garrus, James, and I are going to find Valern. Valern suspects Udina might have a hand in this."

"_Udina? …Well, that's just great. Ash and the Councilors could be in big trouble. I'll let you know if we find anything out, Commander._"

Team Shepard moved into the lobby, Garrus quickly taking out the two Cerberus Troopers directly ahead with his pistol. From the short stairs on the left, a pair of Guardians descended while an Engineer tried to set up a shield pylon. Shepard Biotically yanked the Guardians' shields away from them, making them stumble and letting James gun them down, while Garrus hit the incomplete pylon with an Overload that destroyed it and de-shielded & stunned the Engineer, leaving him open to a pistol headshot. Moving up into the next section of the lobby, they found a few bodies by some consoles.

"These two got it in the back of the head" James said, inspecting the corpses. "Must've been an inside job."

"Cerberus sure likes sleeper agents…" Shepard remarked.

They bypassed a locked door and headed into a hallway; everything was wet due to the overhead sprinklers going off, and two Centurions, a Guardian, and an Engineer were there and already beginning to react to their presence. Shepard overloaded the Engineer's shields and gunned him down with SMG fire, while at the same time James staggered the Guardian with a shotgun blast to keep him from getting a bead on Garrus, who was unloading his Phaeston assault rifle on one of the Centurions. James then rushed at the Guardian while he was still off-balance, rolling under a shot and coming up right behind the Cerberus soldier, blasting him in the back twice with his shotgun and putting him down. The other Centurion tried to rush in, but an Overload from Shepard and a precise pistol headshot from Garrus put him down.

In the next hallway, they found an enemy Engineer trying to set up a scrambler on the elevator. He had his back turned to them and his shields down, and a single pistol round to the back of the head from a few meters back took him out before he knew what had happened. Shepard quickly undid the Cerberus man's work, and he & the others took the elevator up.

"_Any survivors in there?_" Bailey radioed.

"None yet" Shepard replied.

"_Damn it. Keep looking. Aria's minions are coordinating with my people elsewhere on the station; they've got some sections of the Wards cleared out._"

Exiting the elevator, they came to another long room, sprinklers wetting everything, bloodstains and bullet holes marring the walls, and bodies here & there.

"Richfield! Lamont!" Garrus called out. "You alive?"

"Hey!" James snapped, whispering. "You're gonna blow our cover!"

"If all that gunfire didn't alert them, my shouting probably won't."

The door up ahead was malfunctioning, but a quick bypass allowed a detour through a side hall. When they came out, a pair of Cerberus Troopers were standing around down by the next door.

"You sure we had to do that?" one asked. "Without him, we'd never have gotten in."

"Direct orders" the other replied. "He stopped being useful."

A couple snipe-shots from Garrus and Shepard put an end to the conversation, and the trio hurried into the next area, an office section with the stairs to the executor's office at the far end. As the team moved up, the windows a couple levels up shattered and Cerberus troops dropped in, at least a dozen of them. Shepard sent a Combat Drone out to provide distraction and support, the construct zapping any Cerberus soldier in range, and Garrus sniped the lone Centurion in the group. James threw a frag grenade that took out three Troopers, while Shepard moved up and used his Eagle to take out four more. Shepard Biotically picked up one and then slammed him down with enough force to kill him and stun another nearby, and Garrus mopped up the last of them with pistol fire.

With the way clear, they hurried across and up the stairs, stacking up by the executor's office door. At Shepard's signal, James opened the door, and they filed in with guns drawn. A human man in a suit was slumped dead on the desk inside, with two light-armored Salarian corpses on the floor nearby.

"Bailey, looks like they got the executor and two Salarian bodyguards."

"_Damn. All right, keep searching. If you don't see the Councilor's body, don't count him out yet._"

As James looked around the office, Shepard and Garrus moved over to a window overlooking another office section a floor down. After a few seconds, they saw an office chair move slightly, and then a shimmer of light accompanied the disengaging of a Tactical Cloak, revealing Councilor Valern.

"Found him" Shepard reported to Bailey. "He looks unharmed."

"_Get him somewhere safe!_"

Suddenly, a new figure dropped in from above, right in front of the Councilor: a black-armored man wearing a domino mask, his black hair held in a topknot, wielding a short sword and wearing a high-tech glove. The newcomer advanced menacingly on Valern, and Shepard immediately shattered the window with his pistol and leapt down. The assassin leapt over Valern, placing the Councilor between himself and Shepard, while pointing his right palm – which now glowed with energy ready to discharge – right at the Salarian's chest.

"Don't even think about it" Shepard warned, N7 Eagle pointed at the assassin's head.

"Shepard, Udina's going to kill us all!" Valern whispered, speaking quickly, as Shepard and the assassin circled him in an attempt to get a bead on each other. "He's staging a coup. He's got the other Councilors now, to hand over to Cerberus!"

Garrus and James came down the stairs, pointing their rifles at the assassin from the side.

"Three-on-one, pal" Shepard said. "Now it's over."

"No" the man replied with a small smirk. "Now it's fun."

The assassin was about to fire, when suddenly there was the whirring click of an activating mass-effect weapon. He turned his head, and the barrel of an M5 Phalanx pistol was right next to his head, held in the hand of Thane Krios. In a flash he threw his head to the side, barely dodging the ensuing bullet, and lashed out with a right jab at Thane's throat which Thane parried. As Councilor Valern dove out of the way and over to Shepard, the assassin hit Thane with an elbow to the neck, but Thane twisted out of the way of the ensuing palm-blast, the shot missing so narrowly that it tore a hole through his black longcoat. Thane countered with a headbutt that made the other man grunt in surprised pain, but the assassin recovered and judo-flipped Thane to the ground. Thane quickly rolled back onto his feet, but the assassin had vanished.

After several seconds of everyone looking around with guns ready, Thane turned as he heard the electronic sound of a deactivating cloak, and fired his Phalanx several times as the assassin ran to the side, closely dodging the shots. The man drew his sword and rushed in, swinging it horizontally, but Thane ducked under the swing and slapped the weapon aside further with his weapon hand. He hit the assassin with a quick straight kick to the gut, followed by a roundhouse to the chest, and then finished with a Biotically-charged backhand strike to the man's face that sent him flying a couple meters.

As the assassin got back to his feet and readied his blade, Thane reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a small, odd-shaped device. With a squeeze of the palm, the single-'prong' Sangheili plasma blade came to life, and the two elite assassins charged at each other, the enemy wreathing his metal sword in Biotic energy. They met in the middle, blades swishing through the air and clashing against each other, bodies constantly in motion. A thrust of the assassin's blade was parried by Thane, who swung his plasma sword at the other man's neck only for the Cerberus warrior to duck & dodge, lashing out with a kick aimed at Thane's groin which the Drell hopped back to avoid.

Thane made a feint that threw the assassin off for just a bit, long enough to then hit him with a Biotic kick that sent him back a few meters. The Drell then lashed out with a Biotic Push that hit the assassin, making him stagger back a few feet. Thane kept at it, thrusting both hands forward in alternation, each Biotic hit pushing the enemy back a bit more until he was near the window overlooking the Presidium. Finally, Thane hit him with a double Throw that slammed the assassin through the window. He and Shepard immediately hurried forward, leaping down to the area below, just as the man jumped off the ledge and landed on a waiting skycar, riding it out and avoiding the two men's pistol fire.

"Go, Shepard!" Thane said. "Get to the other Councilors! I will stay and guard Councilor Valern!"

"Right. Bailey, Valern is safe but there's a Cerberus assassin after Tevos and Sparatus! Get the word out; Udina's in league with Cerberus! I've got to get to the other Councilors."

"_They're being taken to a shuttle pad on the Presidium_" Bailey replied as Garrus and James came down. "_Take a patrol car and start driving; I'll try to raise them on the comm._"

-_Break_-

The C-Sec cruiser, piloted by Garrus, flew through the Presidium airspace, hurrying toward the storefront area.

"_Shepard, I've got a fix on the Council's position; I'm sending it to your car. Any intel on our assassin?_"

"Never seen him before, but he's definitely Cerberus. Black armor, hair in a topknot, domino mask, he's a Biotic and he's got a short sword he can charge with Biotic energy, as well as a tactical-cloaking device and a palm-mounted blaster weapon of some sort."

"_Did he get to Valern? What happened?_"

"Krios happened; whooped the assassin's butt and sent him scurrying. Now he's going for the other Councilors while Thane guards Valern. Are you all right?"

"_A few of Aria's people are here; they're keeping the place secure, got me patched up, and their techs are helpin' me keep the network up and running. We've already got about half of Cerberus' viral stuff purged._"

"Roger that. Keep me posted. I'll let you know if anyth*THUD* _Jeez_!"

The Cerberus assassin had dropped in from out of nowhere, landing right on top of the speeding sky-car. Before Shepard or Garrus could react, the man ran/slid farther back to the rear section of the vehicle, behind the cockpit, and rammed his sword down into the machinery. Warning lights and sirens filled the inside of the car as it began to list to the side and lose altitude, trailing smoke. Garrus tried to shake the bastard off, but a crimson sky-car pulled up alongside, opening to reveal a Cerberus pilot. The assassin leapt in, the other car zooming away as Team Shepard's patrol car continued to drop.

"I've barely got any control!" Garrus shouted. "Everyone buckle up; this is gonna be a bumpy landing!"

Garrus brought the wounded vehicle down to the left, nose up, and its rear bounced off a guardrail, shedding momentum and jarring the vehicle and its occupants. The car landed on its bottom, skidding a few meters before coming to a stop against a tree. After a few seconds, the trio climbed out, shaken but unhurt, finding themselves in a storefront area of the Presidium.

"_Shepard? My instruments say your car's stopped._"

"This guy's nuts, Bailey! He jumped _on top of_ our car and jammed his sword into the engine! We're all right, but we're on foot. Any luck contacting the Council?"

"_Negative; their guards are dead. But we've still got vital signs on their transponders._"

"Where are they going?"

"_The shuttle pad above Shalmar Plaza. Udina's with them. If he can get them in range of that assassin, this is all over._"

"On our way."

As the team began to move forward, a Cerberus shuttle pulled in up ahead and dropped off a trio of new enemies. They were slender, obviously female, covered in black and white armor with gold highlights, their faces hidden by whole-head helmets. Palm-mounted blasters and short swords formed their armaments. Upon seeing Team Shepard, two of them vanished in Tactical Cloaks while the third stood her ground, taking a stance and staring them down. She fired a few palm-blasts at them, forcing them into cover, and when James fired his assault rifle the new hostile flipped around and dodged most of the bullets, the few that hit being deflected by a Biotic energy shield.

"I'm guessing these are the 'Phantoms' Thane mentioned…" Shepard said.

Suddenly, Shepard heard a faint electronic crackling and caught a flicker of light out of the corner of his eye. Eyes widening, he threw himself to the side, barely dodging a swing from a de-cloaking Phantom's sword. He fired his pistol, scoring a few hits, but the Phantom flipped away before her barriers could fail, vanishing again. A few seconds later, Phantom 1 closed in from the front, firing a palm-blast that barely missed Shepard's head and then leaping at him with sword drawn. As Shepard rolled back and got into a quick close fight, James tried to help, only to narrowly dodge a shot from Phantom 2 as she decloaked and engaged him.

The second Garrus tried to get involved, the _third_ Phantom appeared with a Biotically-charged roundhouse kick that launched him through a nearby window into a store. He groaned as he got to his feet, a bit sore but not actually hurt thanks to his shields and armor. He immediately then brought up an Omniblade to block a downward swing of Phantom 3's sword, the Cerberus cyborg hissing as she tried to overpower him. He pushed her back, but she cloaked again, and he readied his pistol, head on a swivel as he looked all around, waiting for her to attack again. He finally noticed a few Turian and Asari civilians huddled in a corner of the shop, but before he could get a good look at them he heard the de-cloaking to his left and fired in that direction; the few shots he managed to squeeze off impacted Phantom 3's barriers, but failed to penetrate, and he barely managed to duck under a swing aimed at his neck. He fired a few more rounds, but his thermal clip hit its capacity, and Phantom 3 used the brief window of time while he was reloading to cloak again.

Garrus was breathing a little hard, focusing his senses as best he could to try and predict where the Phantom's next attack would come from. Outside, he heard the boom of a shotgun, followed immediately after by a synthetic-tinged female cry of pain and a triumphant shout from James; one down, two to go. Slowly moving around in a circle, trying to put himself between the cloaked Phantom and the civilians, Garrus could almost hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. Suddenly, he heard the de-cloaking sound right behind him, and as he began to turn around he knew he wouldn't make it in time…

There was a thud, as something slammed into the Phantom from the side and behind – one of the Turian civilians. The man wrestled briefly with the Cerberus assassin, but then her Biotically-boosted strength won out, and there was a flash of purple as she sunk her blade deep into his chest. She pulled it out, letting his blood begin spurting out, and went to stab him again, this time in the face. But Garrus was quicker, tackling the Phantom off of the civvie and onto her front with him on top. Before the Phantom could shake him off, Garrus gripped her head and neck with both hands and twisted as hard as he could. There was a popping crack, and the cyborg went limp. Garrus put two pistol rounds in the back of her head, just to be sure.

"Garrus…"

Hearing the wounded Turian's weak voice, Garrus turned to see the man, slumped against a wall and holding a hand to the hole in his chest that was practically gushing blood. Upon getting a good look, Garrus' jaw dropped.

"…Sidonis?"

"I told you… I'd find a way to… make it up to you…"

"Why would… Hold on! I've got medigel!"

"Don't bother… Got my aorta… and my heart… Already dead… Maybe, after I've… served my time in Hell… I'll see you… again… and tell the others… I'm sorry…"

Lantar Sidonis' head then hung down, his eyes drifting closed as his breath left him. Garrus closed his eyes and shook his head, before reaching out and patting his former friend on the shoulder.

"Maybe…" he replied.

There was a crash and a cry of pain behind him, as Phantom 1 was Biotically thrown into the shop, a half-dozen bullet holes in her chest. She struggled a bit, then expired, and Shepard stepped in, James close behind.

"Garrus?" he asked. "…Is that Sidonis?"

"Yeah… Yeah, it was. …Come on, Shepard; we need to get to the Council before it's too late."

"Right"

The trio moved out, hurrying down the market area. Up ahead, a sky-car careened out of control and slammed into the side of a second-story shop at an acute angle, a blast of smoke and fire shooting out from the impact point. As they moved forward, hopping across a short gap into a small parking lot, two more Phantoms appeared, along with at least one Nemesis and a pair of Troopers. Fire from a Nemesis' M98 Widow forced the trio into cover behind two parked cars, and the Phantoms took the chance to start closing in on them. Suddenly, a Singularity formed amongst the surprised Phantoms, snatching them up, followed by a Warp that detonated it and ripped them both apart. The Nemesis fell next, a sniper round catching her in the side of the head, and lastly a Biotic Throw launched the two Troopers over the railing.

"Hey, Shep" a woman's husky and rough voice said. "Fancy meeting you here."

Team Shepard came out of cover to see their rescuer, a familiar old Asari accompanied by three Asari Commandos.

"Matriarch Aethyta?"

"Yep, that's me. The assholes thought they could wreck my bar. After I made them into smears on the walls, I hooked up with these girls. We've been doing what we can to mess with 'em around here. …I'm no Commando, but I've had 1,000 years to learn how to fight. Cerberus has been learning that the hard way."

"We're trying to reach a shuttle pad over Shalmar Plaza. Councilor Udina's a traitor; he's luring Sparatus and Tevos into a trap."

"Udina? Had a bad feelin' about him the second he got the position. Alright, we probably can't go all the way with you, but we'll at least get you to the elevator you need. Come on, girls; let's go give Cerberus some more headaches."

Up ahead, the doors to Shalmar Plaza were sealed, but one of the Commandos was able to hack open a maintenance passageway for the group to pass through.

"I'm at Shalmar Plaza" Shepard reported. "Where's the Council?"

"_In an elevator_" Bailey replied. "_They're trying to get to the shuttle dock. Someone's following them, matches your description of the Cerberus assassin._"

As the team tried to move forward, a Cerberus Engineer popped out of cover up ahead… and then a Cerberus Atlas dropped in as well, immediately starting to fire its cannon at them as they dived for cover. Shepard and the tech-savvy Commando started hitting the giant mech with Overloads, trying to take down its shields, while Garrus and the sniper Commando quickly focused on the Engineer, taking him out before he could make things harder. James threw a grenade that finished off the Atlas' shields, and then Aethyta and one of the Commandos started throwing Warps, setting off Biotic combo-explosions that tore into the Atlas' heavy armor, weakening it substantially. Shepard's Incinerate and James' Carnage pitched in as well, and very soon the mech was sparking and smoking. A trio of grenades finished the job, the mech exploding with considerable violence.

The elevator was just up ahead; a trio of Cerberus Troopers tried to block the group's path, but Shepard and two of the Commandos used Biotic Slam attacks to deal with them quickly. They rushed into the elevator room, just in time to see the masked assassin and three Phantoms boarding an elevator; the man smirked at Shepard as the elevator doors closed and the lift started up. One of the Asari Commandos called the Commander over as she Biotically pried the other elevator's doors open, revealing the dark shaft. The other elevator was a floor down, and Team Shepard was able to leap the gap and get on top of it.

"We'll hold the fort here, Shepard" Aethyta said. "Go be a big damn hero again."

"_Hang on, Shepard; it's gonna be a fast climb…_"

The trio briefly stumbled as the elevator lurched and began to ascend.

"Tell me that assassin hasn't reached the Council…"

"_He's trying, but I'm making his elevator stop at every floor._"

After a few seconds, the assassin's elevator was visible up overhead, Shepard's elevator bringing them closer. Seeing the power conduits on the bottom, Shepard hit them with Overloads, and the enemy's elevator came to a dead stop. Several seconds later, a third elevator came up on the other side, a pair of Phantoms riding atop it; Garrus shot the power conduits atop it, and the lift screeched to a halt, one of the Phantoms falling off.

"_Shepard! Bad news!_"

"Is there any other kind?"

"_That hitman jumped to another elevator, and he's overridden my controls. He's on his way up. I can't stop him._"

Finally, they pulled up alongside the Council's elevator and Team Shepard jumped over onto its roof. Gunfire shot up from inside, forcing Shepard to roll away, and the elevator came to a halt. After a few seconds, Shepard managed to pry the access hatch open and drop in, just in time to catch sight of Ashley and the Councilors passing through the door up ahead. Hurrying, the trio followed them out into the shuttle area, seeing Ashley, Udina, Sparatus, and Tevos looking at a thoroughly wrecked Alliance Kodiak burning atop the landing pad.

"Shepard?" Ashley asked, seeing as Shepard, Garrus, and James immediately all pointed their weapons at Udina.

"Shepard's blocking our escape!" Udina said. "He's with Cerberus!"

"Everybody hang on!" Ashley shouted, getting between Shepard and Udina with her gun drawn on the former. "Shepard, what the hell's happening here?"

"You know me, Ash" he said, lowering his gun. "You know I wouldn't do something like this without a good reason." He signaled James and Garrus to lower their weapons. "We don't have time to negotiate. You've been fooled, all of you. Udina's behind the attack; Councilor Valern confirmed it."

"Please," Udina scoffed, "you have no proof. You never do."

"There are Cerberus soldiers in the elevator shaft behind us. If you open that door, they'll kill you all!"

"…We have mistrusted Shepard before," Tevos spoke up, "and it did not help us."

"We don't have time to debate this!" Udina snapped as he walked over to the console linked to the door. "We're dead if we stay here. I'm overriding the lock."

Shepard stepped forward, pistol pointed at Udina, and Ashley got in his way, trembling.

"I'm gonna regret this…" she whispered… and then lowered her gun and turned toward Udina.

"No, you're not" Shepard replied softly.

"Udina," Ashley said, pointing her Predator at him, "step away from the console."

"To hell with this!"

Udina started quickly typing in commands, and the red holographic circle on the door began to spin, shifting to yellow. Tevos marched up to Udina, grabbing him by the wrist, but he twisted away and shoved her to the ground, drawing his own gun – a Phalanx – and pointing it down at her. There was a gunshot, and Udina fell back, a splash of red on his chest.

"Son of a bitch…" Ashley whispered, shaking, as her gun was kept trained on the man who'd made her a Spectre, the man whom she'd just shot.

As Tevos got to her feet, Shepard walked up beside Ashley, putting a hand on her shoulder, and then he looked down at Udina. "Why?" he asked.

Udina coughed, blood spattering out. "For Earth" he rasped. "Tevos and Valern… made it clear they wanted t… to sacrifice humanity's homeworld… and our population… just to protect their worlds… They would rather see us all _die_… than risk their precious positions… Cerberus pr… promised to help… let me make the Citadel Fleet… save our world, our people, from annihilation. I just wanted… to protect… Earth…"

The man's struggles ceased, and his eyes closed as his last breath left him. Sparatus scowled… and then spun around and punched Tevos in the face, knocking his fellow Councilor to the floor with a bloody nose. As she groaned in pain, he snarled as he stood over her.

"This is on _your_ head, Asari" he growled out. "If you hadn't so coldly made clear your intentions to let humanity and their world – their _homeworld _– burn to protect your people's colonies, this wouldn't have happened! Udina was a fool and a traitor to turn to Cerberus in desperation… but _you_ were partially responsible for making him that desperate in the first place. The blood of today's losses stains your hands, Tevos…"

Suddenly, there were sparks coming from the elevator door, as someone on the other side used a cutting torch to break their way through. Everyone drew their guns, but instead of Cerberus they saw half a dozen people in C-Sec uniforms, led by their Commander.

"Bailey?" Shepard asked.

"We made it as fast as we could, Shepard" he replied. "Looks like you took care of things."

"Where did Cerberus' soldiers go?" Tevos asked, still holding a hand to her face as she struggled to her feet again.

"They were right here, but they bolted into the Keeper tunnels when they heard us coming. …Sorry, Councilors, I'll say it plain: Shepard just saved your asses again."

"Commander," Sparatus said, "you have made a habit of saving my life. I owe you a great debt. …Do you have any idea what the Illusive Man's stake in this might have been?"

"No, I don't" Shepard replied. "But I plan to find out."

"All right, people," Bailey spoke up, "principals are evacuated; we've got a tunnel and a million more places to secure. Move it!"

"How's Valern?"

"He's all right; a couple more Cerberus goons came after him, but Krios took 'em out no problem. They're both safe with my people now."

"_Commanders,_" EDI radioed, "_energy signatures indicate a UNSC fleet will arrive in-system in 10 minutes. They will likely be able to lend some equipment and personnel in securing the station. Cerberus vessels are falling back from the Citadel en masse, breaking for the Relay._"

"Looks like this particular debacle is just about wrapped up…" Bailey remarked. "Let's get back to the station."

**-**_**Break**_**-**

Aboard a small, cloaked ship, the Cerberus assassin scowled as he opened a secure channel to his boss.

"_Yes?_" the Illusive Man asked.

"Things didn't go as planned" the assassin said. "The Council's still in control of the Citadel, and Udina's dead."

"_Udina was expendable._"

"Now what?"

"_There are other plans in motion. I'll fill you in once you return. I'm surprised you let Shepard get the better of you, Leng._"

"It won't happen again" Kai Leng growled.

"_We'll see…_"

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: a short chapter covering the coup aftermath and setting up for the next plotline world


	16. Coup Aftermath

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Citadel, Embassies, C-Sec Commander's Office**

"We looked over every centimeter of those tunnels, Shepard. Your Cerberus pal is made out of smoke & mirrors."

"He likes to fight. He'll show up again."

"Pardon me if I'm not reassured by that. We can't even get an ID on him. He released a VI into the Citadel's system that erased footage of him wherever he went. I guess he didn't trust that Udina's plan would come together."

"How's the sweep of the station going?"

"Well, with that UNSC/Sangheili fleet that showed up a little while ago, their people and AIs are pitching in to help hunt down any Cerbies still hiding on the station, as well as finding and disabling any nasty 'surprises' the bastards left behind. But what's _really_ come in handy is the UNSC's big-ass hospital ship, the _Hopeful_. She's huge, she's got top-of-the-line medical tech, she's got a huge staff of people and medical-focused AIs working on her… They've been taking in a lot of refugee and military people, lightening the load on the Citadel's hospitals. Plus, they're accepting volunteers from our races to keep things covered, and they've been lending their med-tech to our hospitals here. After what just happened, I don't wanna think about the catastrophic load the Citadel's hospitals would have if the _Hopeful_ wasn't here. She's ugly as sin as far as ships go, but damn if she isn't invaluably useful."

"I heard the DDF is planning on setting up their own Citadel Defense Fleet to bolster ours."

"Yeah, they're gonna station a couple-dozen ships or so here alongside the fleet we've already got. Every space-faring DDF member-state is lending at least a few ships to it. That oughtta make anyone think thrice before trying anything like what Cerberus pulled; even the Reapers might consider it too dangerous to be worth it… I hope. They're also setting up more and better interior defenses, working with C-Sec and the Council to draw up and streamline Citadel evac plans in case things _do_ go bad, they got some guards bolstering our ranks and workers starting to repair the shitload of damage Cerberus caused, and I hear they're even considering asking permission to help train a civilian militia."

"And now that they've finished putting themselves back together after kicking the Reapers out of their Realms, they'll be joining the assault in this one."

"Right, I heard the Sangheili and TSAB have already liberated two worlds from Cerberus or Reaper control, or at least long enough to get the people trapped on them out. I think it was the planets Tiptree and Garvug… Plus, the 'New Terran Dominion' is helping the Systems Alliance take back Benning and Eden Prime…"

"I just hope this isn't just delaying those people's deaths by a few weeks or months until the Reapers overwhelm us…"

"Yeah… So, what's next for you, Shepard?"

Just then, the Commander's Omnitool chimed.

"Apparently, whatever this is" Shepard replied as he called it up.

"_From: Adrien Victus_

_Commander Shepard:_

Cerberus just ambushed a Turian cruiser full of high-ranking Hierarchy officials. The cruiser managed to escape, but its location was top-secret. Cerberus couldn't have located that ship without inside information, and the only other person who knew the cruiser's position was Volus ambassador Din Korlack. I've heard ugly rumors of a bounty out for his head.

My advisors insist I can't bring these accusations against Korlack myself. I admit they're right. The Turian and Volus economies are tightly intertwined, and now isn't the time for the political crisis that would result. But the security of our fleets is at stake.

I ask that you investigate Korlack in your capacity as a Spectre, and find out if he is, indeed, a Cerberus mole.

_Regards,  
Primarch Victus_"

"Korlack…" Bailey murmured, reading over Shepard's shoulder. "His office is down the hall near the elevator, second from the left. I'll radio ahead, tell the guard you're coming."

"Thanks."

Shepard made his way out and over to the embassy offices, and the Turian guard there nodded to him as he unlocked the door. Inside, Shepard walked around the empty office, soon coming to a terminal holding three archived recorded messages. He sat down and started with the oldest one.

"_You've never been this uncooperative with us before, Ambassador_" a smooth female voice said.

"_*Hrrk* That's because you were actually doing some good in the galaxy before_" the voice of Din Korlack replied.

"_Has that changed? How many colonies would be gone if we hadn't taken action against the Collectors?_"

"_*Hrrk* Too many. *Hrrk* But fighting the Alliance…_"

"_Must continue, in order to end the war. We understand it took a lot for you to reach out to Cerberus, Ambassador Korlack. We ask that you trust us a little longer._"

The second entry….

"_*Hrrk* You people are monsters!_"

"_Ambassador, please-"_

"_*Hrrk* Hundreds dead! *Hrrk* Udina betraying the council! *Hrrk* I should have cut ties with you ages ago!_"

"_And what will that accomplish now? The risks you took by passing information to Cerberus… it's left you in an interesting position. If you sever contact, we can't protect you from the consequences._"

"_*Hrrk* I don't… *Hrrk* I have no time for this!_"

"_We'll speak again. Have a good day, Ambassador Korlack._"

…And the last.

"_*Hrrk* The Turians think I'm still working for Cerberus. *Hrrk* They've put a price on my head! I can't go to C-Sec, *Hrrk* but Cerberus has plans. *Hrrk* An entire Turian colony rests on my life. *Hrrk* If anyone finds this, *Hrrk* I hid a tracking receiver in the office suite beside the human embassies. …*Hrrk* What are you-_"

*THUD*

"_Damn, Cerberus has them everywhere nowadays_" a rough voice said in a Cockney accent.

"_You gonna go on about them all night?_" a woman asked.

"_Just get the car up here, quick. Little bastard's even heavier than he looks._"

"Zaeed?" Shepard murmured.

Stepping away from the console, Shepard inspected the room, and it didn't take him long to see something small, curved, and white underneath a desk. Reaching down, he pulled out the tracking receiver, and with his Omnitool he synced it to his personal comm.

"_How long 'til we kill Korlack?_" Zaeed was heard asking.

"_Once the credits go through_" the female bounty hunter replied. "_Was beginning to think you weren't interested in the money._"

"_I'm not._"

"_Because Korlack worked for Cerberus?_" an unmistakably Krogan voice asked. "_What'd they do to you?_"

"_None of your goddamn business. He's waking up._"

"This is Commander Shepard. Can you hear me?"

"_*Hrrk* Yes! *Hrrk* Yes, I can hear you._"

"Tell me where you are."

"_*Hrrk* Uh… *Hrrk* We're still near the Presidium. *Hrrk* C-Sec will check Selkish Arms when they realize I'm missing._"

"_They won't give a damn when they realize you sold them out to Cerberus_" Zaeed said.

"_*Hrrk* Wait. *Hrrk* Cerberus is planning to attack a colony that-_"

"Stay calm. Help's coming."

-_Break_-

**Presidium**

"Zaeed Massani used to work for Cerberus. Ask him why he's here."

"_*Hrrk* Why go after your old employer, Mr. Massani?_"

"_How do you know my name all the sudden?_"

"He needs you alive to stop Cerberus."

"_*Hrrk* Cerberus is after a Turian colony. *Hrrk* Kill me, *Hrrk* and they get it._"

"Drop my name."

"_*Hrrk* Shepard's investigating. *Hrrk* He's… *Hrrk* a recent acquaintance._"

"_How recent?_"

"_*Hrrk* Very_"

"_Shit. All right, I'm listening…_"

Soon, Shepard finally reached the Presidium office his transponder led him to. He opened the door to see a familiar older man leaning against the far window, along with two dead mercenaries on the floor.

"Been a while, Zaeed" he said.

"Shepard. Glad I wasn't making an ass of myself over a hunch. Undisciplined bastards… This is what I get for signing up at the last minute."

"Where's Korlack?"

"*Hrrk* I'm here, Commander" the Volus came out of hiding. *Hrrk* I… *Hrrk* You saved my life. *Hrrk* I almost died because the Turians thought I was still with Cerberus."

"Did the mercs hurt you?"

"*Hrrk* I'm fine. *Hrrk* They wanted me alive until the fees were delivered for my capture. *Hrrk* They didn't care about what I had to say."

"You kept mentioning a colony in your message."

"*Hrrk* Information on a Turian planet's defense system. They'll strike soon. *Hrrk* But… *Hrrk* if I tell you which planet they're attacking, *Hrrk* Cerberus will know I turned traitor."

"Turned?" Zaeed growled. "You already betrayed your own people."

"We saved your life!" Shepard said. "Tell us what planet you put in danger!"

"*Hrrk* I can offer a bargain! *Hrrk* The Volus bombing fleet. *Hrrk* In tactical terms, it's worth far more than a colony."

"Or you could give us both."

"*Hrrk* You can warn the Turians there'll be an attack, Commander. *Hrrk* That should be general enough to ward off suspicion."

"You tried to do the right thing before. It failed because you trusted the wrong people. Now here's your chance to make up for it. You're giving us Volus support, _and_ you're going to help us make Cerberus pay for using you."

"…*Hrrk* I can't."

"You _can_."

"Waste of everyone's time tryin' to appeal to a Volus' better nature, Shepard" Zaeed said dismissively.

"*Hrrk*… *Hrrk* Aephus. *Hrrk* The colony's name is Aephus. *Hrrk* Cerberus wants its shipyards."

"And the bombing fleet?"

"*Hrrk* Yes. It's yours, Commander. *Hrrk* I'll speak with Citadel Security about this… incident. …*Hrrk* You have my thanks."

"Took him long enough to spit that out" Zaeed murmured as the Volus wandered away.

"So what are you doing here?"

"Later" the old merc made his way out. "C-Sec's on their way. Won't be too pleased with the mess we left them. Catch up with me at the docks if you like."

Shepard waited a few minutes after Zaeed left before he made his own way out. As he was heading for the elevator, however, a woman in a suit called out to him.

"Can I help you?" he asked her.

"Jordan Noles, E-Crimes" the woman introduced herself. "It's an honor to meet you, Commander. I've got a saboteur hacking key systems – power, communications… It's bad. If you've got time to help, check out this console."

She called up some data on an Omnitool, and Shepard looked it over, seeing some familiarity. "Got it. Looks like a collection of access codes."

"They're Batarian diplomatic codes, from back when they had an embassy on the Citadel. If you can find them, I can shut them down."

"If I find anything, I'll let you know."

-_Break_-

Following the nav-point added by accessing the Spectre mainframe, Shepard found his way into Huerta Memorial Hospital. The place wasn't nearly as crowded as one would expect in the wake of an invasion, thanks in major part to DDF assistance in getting people patched up here, along with the UNSC _Hopeful _taking in hundreds of patients. Moving through the labs, Shepard found an unattended terminal, and with a quick Omnitool hack he was in, shortly finding the Batarian codes.

"Noles, this is Shepard; I'm at Huerta Memorial. I found one of the code locations."

"_Okay, I'll shut it down. …Someone used this to cut off power to a dozen life-support machines in the hospital. …Okay, that access code is officially disabled. Can you find any more?_"

-_Break_-

"Noles, I'm in Bay D24. I've found another spot where the Batarian codes were used."

"…_Holy crap. These are the remote navigation codes. Last week's crash at the docks… we thought it was an accident. Shepard, there were 117 Alliance soldiers on that ship – all human, just like the patients at the hospital._"

"So we've got Batarian codes, and someone with a grudge against humans."

"_Looks like… Okay, this code's offline now as well. Should just be one left, Commander._"

-_Break_-

Making his way to the back area of Bay E24, passing numerous refugees and a fair few armed guards, Shepard found his next target terminal against the far wall, tucked into a corner. Tapping in, he quickly found what he was looking for.

"Noles, this is where the last access code was used."

"_What's that, Commander? I'm losing your signal._"

Suddenly, the Commander felt something pressed against his back: the barrel of a pistol, right between his shoulder blades.

"Shepard…" a deep voice growled, and Shepard frowned as he recognized it.

"Balak…" he snarled.

"You should have killed me on that asteroid over Terra Nova" the Batarian black-ops leader rumbled. "I've been waiting for this. Everything that has happened to my people is _your_ fault."

"All I did was stop you in the Asgard System."

"Yes… After you ruined my plans, my government accelerated research efforts on the Leviathan of Dis! Have you heard of it, Commander? The ancient techno-organic dreadnought my people recovered from Jartar 20 years ago? Sound _familiar_?"

"A Reaper… Your people were studying a derelict Reaper."

"Yes – looking for a way to reclaim out place as the true power of the galaxy. Hundreds of our best scientists were enlisted…"

"…and Indoctrinated."

"Precisely. When the Reapers reached Khar'shan, our own people betrayed us – defense grids were deactivated, ships fired on allied targets… We were betrayed from within, because of _you_."

"I didn't destroy your people, Balak. The Reapers did that."

"We were a proud race, a _beautiful_ race! Have you seen what the Reapers have done to us?-! I am trapped on this station. Our warships only know the locations of Reaper forces because I've tapped Council transmissions. I am the highest-ranking military officer left in the Hegemony, and I can't save my people! But I can end _you_…"

"Balak, you sent that asteroid to try to help your people. But what does killing _me_ accomplish?"

"Vengeance. The Bahak System-"

"-would've died anyway when the Reapers showed up. You know that. Hell, we got half of the population out alive, but then your Indoctrinated government had almost all of them killed! …I've united the Krogans and the Turians, and I'm working on getting the other races onboard as well. We're the best hope for this galaxy. If you care about your people…"

There was dead silence for a few seconds, before the Batarian snarled in fury and frustration, lowering his gun. "Our ships are yours…" he muttered as he walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

"Shepard!" Officer Noles came running up. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. You won't have any more trouble with those codes."

"Was that… Ka'hairal Balak?"

"Yeah, it's him. And I'd really like to see a bullet put through his head. But we need his resources, and his ships. Let him go; Spectre authority."

"Understood, Commander. And thanks."

Taking a moment to collect himself, Shepard then made his way back through the dock, and soon saw an old friend.

"Shepard" Zaeed greeted. "Was wonderin' if you'd find time to swing by here. Figured you might be too busy building your big goddamn army."

"I could always use more help" the Commander replied.

"I'll bet. I've seen footage of what happened on Earth. Tell you what: I'll see if some old contacts of mine are still around. Can't promise you anything, but if enough of them are still breathing…"

"Who were those people you were with?"

"Bunch of mercs from Omega. Signed on with them when I heard they were making a hit on Cerberus. Should've studied the job longer."

"There's no way you could've known Korlack stopped working for Cerberus."

"That's no excuse. I kill Korlack, and I'd have done right by Cerberus. No. The way I see it, those bastards owe me."

"Why go after them?"

"Started with them trying to hire me back after we hit the Collectors. Cerberus paid me enough after the Omega-4 relay… Retired is what I should have done. But it's tough to settle down, knowing the Reapers are on their way."

"What did they want?"

"They wanted anyone with experience leading a fight. Gave me a tour of one of their new cruisers. Nice setup; top of the line ship, organized crew, damn impressive weapons. Thought I'd been shot at by every kind of gun, but didn't recognize half of what Cerberus was using."

"What scared you off?"

"Another hunch. Cerberus wanted me to lead their new recruits, but I slipped off tour to talk to their soldiers. Found a restricted area, and caught an officer without a helmet. Wasn't supposed to have done that, apparently."

"You saw what the Illusive Man did to his people?"

"It's downright sick. I asked the soldier what the hell had happened to his face. Pissed him off… or maybe he didn't even understand the question."

"Things go downhill with Cerberus from there?"

"They didn't want me leaving, I can tell you. Shot my way out with one of their fancy new rifles. You know, I thought I'd find myself a bolthole, sit this one out somewhere warm and quiet. But _no one_ tries to trick me into becoming a goddamn Husk. Been picking up jobs against Cerberus ever since."

"You seem pretty calm about the Reapers showing up."

"Just wish they'd waited until I was dead and buried before setting Earth on fire. At my age, you're supposed to take it easy. But that fleet you're putting together? Might make the Reapers think twice… if you pull it off."

"If?"

"Nothing personal. There's just a hell of a lot that could still go wrong." The old man sighed. "But… I suppose I could do what I can to help boost your chances, even just a bit. I know we've had our… differences, especially on Zorya. Took a look at meself afterward, saw you were right – I was turnin' into another Vido, almost. Sick with myself for a bit after that. I gotta do somethin' right before I kick back on some beach somewhere. So, I was wonderin'… You got room on the _Normandy_?"

"You're asking to join up again? …Well, I don't see why not. How much am I paying you?"

"Nothing for now; money won't mean shit if we're all dead. Besides, Alliance will probably compensate me for helping out afterward."

"All right, then" he shook the old merc's hand. "Welcome back to the team, Zaeed."

"Always a pleasure, Shepard. I'll see you back on the ship."

As Massani made his way out, Shepard resumed wandering around the Docks a bit more. As he passed by an impromptu medical section, he overheard the head 'physician' trying to explain his woes to someone over the comm.

"I need support! Someone sabotaged the medi-gel dispensers and I've got some idiot preaching about Cerberus down here! …No, I've contacted C-Sec, and they say it's 'not a priority' and it 'doesn't matter'. What matters is that I've got Turian soldiers dying from lack of medication!"

Curious, Shepard decided to investigate. Heading in the direction of the disturbance, he saw a blond man pacing around, shouting out slogans or propaganda or something. And as he got close enough to see the man's face…

"Oh, for crying out loud…"

"Cerberus wants our help! And if they're good enough for Commander Shepard, they should be good enough for us!"

"Conrad… _What. Are you. Doing?_"

"Oh, Commander Shepard! Hi! Wow, it's great to see you again! I joined Cerberus just like you did!"

"Conrad… I never _joined_ Cerberus; I just worked with them _temporarily_ to stop the Collectors, and I gave the Illusive Man a pretty big middle finger once that was done. In case you haven't noticed, the past few weeks they've been attacking Alliance soldiers, obstructing our plans against the Reapers, trying to kill _me_ every chance they get, oh yeah and _they just invaded the Citadel and tried to kill the Council_."

The man's smile dropped like lead was attached to it. "That… That was them? Then… Oh… Oh no… I-I screwed up again, didn't I?"

"What can you tell me about your Cerberus contacts?"

"Not much. They wanted me to help recruit people near the medical station."

"Which was sabotaged while you had everyone distracted."

"Oh. Oh wait. Wait, wait… _No_…"

"I'll deal with it. Just don't… do anything."

"Okay. But I might be able to help you with… whatever else it is you're doing."

"Conrad, I'm building a giant ancient Prothean dark-energy superweapon to stop the Reapers. You think you can help with _that_?"

"Hmm… Well, I _did_ write my doctoral dissertation on xeno-technology and dark-energy integration."

Shepard's eyebrows went so far up they almost reached his hairline. "…Really?"

"Yes! In fact, I might be able to find some ancient tech schematics that could help you with construction. Hang on, I've got an old contact." He called up his communicator. "…Aw, c'mon, Hossle. Help me out! Sorry. The war has him scared."

"Hossle? Gavin Hossle, the ExoGeni tech researcher? I did him a favor back on Feros a few years ago. Tell him this is for me."

"Ah, he heard you, Commander! Wow, I had no idea you two knew each other! Small universe… Okay, he's forwarding the schematics over." He activated his Omnitool, looking over the schematics. "Oh no. It's in an ancient Asari dialect. We'd need a lot of old Asari writing to translate."

"Would this collection of Matriarch Dilinaga's writings I found during my hunt for Saren do the trick?"

"Um, yes. Yes it would. Okay, it's auto-translating. Let's see… Oh no. The technology falls under an existing patent. I can't actually access the schematics without a license from… let's see… Elkoss Combine?"

Shepard sighed, and with a wave of his Omnitool…

"How did you even…? Well, this is great! Okay, here you go! I hope this helps you with your superweapon! Anyway, good luck fixing the medi-gel dispensers. I'll just be here… not touching anything…"

"Weren't you running a shelter for war orphans on Illium?"

"Yeah, it was doing well… until the Reapers showed up. I ended up spending most of what I had left getting the kids offworld. I'm sorry if that was…"

"No. That was the right thing to do, Conrad. Good job. So, did you lose anyone back on Earth?"

"No. I mean, extranet friends and the like, but I don't really have any family left."

"What about your wife?"

"Um…"

"Conrad, do you even _have_ a wife?"

"Oh, yes! Yes, yes, yes! …Well, no. But see-"

"Conrad… if you have some kind of weird shrine of me, I'm going to be very unhappy."

"It's just a poster with a few candles; it's very tasteful!"

"Gah… I'm gonna… go deal with the medi-gel thing…"

Leaving Conrad behind, Shepard made his round through the dock area. It actually didn't take very long to find the sabotaged medi-gel dispensers and repair the damage; whoever had done it had been sloppy. With that done, he reported back to the medical area.

"I fixed the sabotage" he reported. "The medi-gel dispensers should be working now."

"Thank you!" the doctor said. "I'll get patients moving through triage immediately."

As the doc moved on, Conrad came up, his usual smile back.

"Great work, Shepard! And listen, I'm so sorry for…" As he looked around, his eyes suddenly focused on a tan-skinned refugee leaning against a nearby dock storage crate while talking on a hidden communicator. "Hey… that's him! That's the Cerberus contact. Hey you! You're under arrest!"

The man looked back and forth between Conrad and Shepard a few times… and then, in a flash of motion, he drew a concealed Predator pistol and aimed right at Shepard's chest. The gun sounded out, but Conrad had thrown himself in the path of it, falling to the floor afterward. Shepard gasped softly, and then his eyes glowed bright blue as he glared at the Cerberus man. The infiltrator barely had time to get out an "Uh-oh" before Shepard hit him with a Biotic Throw so strong it left a human-shaped deep dent in the side of the shipping container, the man slumping to the floor, his body bent and broken. Shepard immediately knelt down by Conrad, who was gasping harshly and trembling.

"Shepard…" he said. "Did I help?"

"Yeah, Conrad. You helped."

"…I don't even feel anything."

"That's because I sabotaged his gun right before he could pull the trigger" a new, female voice chimed in. "It might have looked and sounded like it fired, but that was just the thermal clip overheating." The young woman with short black hair and an active Omnitool walked up. "Hi, Commander. It's me, Jenna. You helped me a few years ago when I was working undercover at Chora's Den."

"And now you're volunteering here?" Shepard asked as Conrad got back up on his feet.

"Right. Chellick showed me a few little tricks when he had me working undercover. I guess that paid off, huh?"

"You… You saved my life!" Conrad said.

"I can't believe you were willing to lay down your life for Commander Shepard! You're so brave!"

"Oh, the Commander and I go way back. Lemme give you a hand, and I can tell you about it."

As the two walked off, the doctor shook his head before activating his comm. "C-Sec? Yeah, it's me again. The sabotage situation is under control, but we've got a Cerberus attempted-assassin here."

"_What? What happened?_"

"He tried to take a shot at Commander Shepard. One of the Commander's old acquaintances, I guess, dove in front of the shot, and then the Commander hit the bastard with a Biotic Throw so strong that… Well, I doubt this infiltrator will live long without medical attention, and considering he's the one who sabotaged the medi-gel, I'm not inclined to give it to him."

"_Copy that. We'll be there soon to take the prisoner… or the body, depending on how long it takes us. And the Samaritan?_"

"A third party sabotaged the gun; he's fine."

"_Okay. Be there soon. Out._"

**-**_**Break**_**-**

**Docking Bay D24**

Entering the airlock leading back to the _Normandy II_, Shepard was a bit surprised to find someone already there, waiting for him.

"Shepard…" Ashley started, uncomfortable. "I don't know what to say. I'm trying to go over everything in my head, make sense of it…"

"Your bandages were still fresh. How did you end up working with Udina?"

"You saw me at the hospital. I was going crazy, felt like I was letting everyone down. When Udina offered to make me a Spectre, I thought it was a chance to do some good."

"I couldn't just sit back and watch, either."

"Yeah. But it sure turned into a mess."

"I never wanted to put you in that situation. We're on the same side."

"I can't believe it came to that. We were so close to…"

"Ash, it's okay. We figured it out. We stopped Udina and got to walk away. That's the important part."

"I can't believe he was responsible for all this… I wanted to ask you something. Hackett asked me to join his team. It's a great offer, but I'd prefer to ride this thing out aboard the _Normandy_."

"Permission granted. Couldn't do this without you."

"I'll grab my gear."

"And Ash? It's good to have you back."

"Commander."

The two turned at the familiar voice, to see two more familiar figures approaching – Kaidan and Thane.

"Shepard," Thane spoke up, "Alenko and I wish to rejoin the _Normandy_, if you would have us."

"The docks are in good enough hands now that I can afford to leave" Kaidan said. "It'd be nice to help see things through."

"Wow" Shepard smiled. "Zaeed, Ashley, Kaidan, and Thane, all in one day. The Reapers' chances are dropping by the minute. Come on aboard, you two; I could use your help. Right now, though, I need to meet with Hackett …"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

_**Normandy-II**_**, QEC Room**

"_Shepard,_" Hackett's hologram greeted, "_I've got Anderson patched in. I was just getting him up to speed._"

"_Udina…_" Anderson's hologram muttered. "_That SOB was always power-hungry, but this?_"

"He was desperate to try and get help for Earth after the Council apparently planned to throw us under the bus to protect their own worlds, at least that's how Udina interpreted Tevos' words. Cerberus used that desperation to control him."

"_Damnit… And what the hell would Cerberus want with the Citadel?_"

"I don't know. Not yet."

"_It could've been a lot worse_" Hackett said. "_Shepard and Krios stopped the assassination attempt on Councilor Valern._"

"_Kai Leng…_" Anderson growled.

"What?"

"_Your assassin. I'll have Hackett send you my reports on him. Short story: be careful._"

"I take it you two have met."

"_Kahlee Sanders and I had our fair share of run-ins with him. I shot him in both legs once, thought that might be the end of him. But he showed up on Omega again, even stronger._"

"The Illusive Man patched him up and augmented him?"

"_That'd be my guess, given what they were able to do with you and Paul Grayson. It's a safe bet Leng's even more dangerous now. He's smug and arrogant, a decent Biotic, and also has a vicious, racist disgust and hatred of aliens; even Saren didn't hate humans as much as Leng hates the other races. I'll send you whatever else I've got on him._"

"I'll take whatever advantage I can get."

"_Their attempts may have had at least one unintended side effect_" Hackett spoke up. "_I received word from Councilor Tevos. The Asari are requesting an update on the Crucible._"

"_Leng has them scared. Enough to send help, maybe?_"

"_Yes, the Asari and Salarians are both throwing in their support now. Dalatrass Linron is trying to raise a stink about it, but the STG have basically given her a collective 'screw you' and pledged their full support to us, technically and militarily, even if it separates them from the Union. …For driving the STG away, Linron isn't too popular with a lot of the other Dalatrasses right now._"

"How's the progression on the Crucible?"

"_Good. Our estimates suggest we've completed nearly 50% of the known work._"

"So quickly?"

"_Once decoded, the schematics are designed in such a way that allows our scientists to easily translate the information. It's not Prothean-specific._"

"_Are we any closer to understanding how to use it?_" Anderson asked.

"_That's still open for debate. Utilized in the right fashion, our scientists are convinced it can generate enough energy to destroy the Reapers. The question is, how will it dispense the energy, and in what form?_"

"_You mean, how do we keep it from wiping __**us**__ out, too?_"

"_Exactly. We think the Catalyst, whatever it is, is the key to determining how to focus the Crucible's energy, how to direct it at the Reapers alone._"

"I'm working on that."

"_You'll find the answers, Shepard. I'll send you updates on the schematics, and in the meantime we'll keep building._"

"_And we'll keep fighting, make sure there's still an Earth left to come back to._"

"You've always trusted me" Shepard told his old mentor. "I won't let you down."

"_We're still in this_" Hackett said. "_The gods of war haven't given up on us yet._"

"_Good luck. Both of you. Anderson out._"

"How's the Dimensional Defense Force assistance coming, sir?"

"_Fairly good_" Hackett replied. "_They're already striking at Reaper outposts and Cerberus supply lines, rescuing and evacuating colonies, and linking up with our ships for joint ops. They've also been sending technical specialists, heavy machinery, and raw materials to the Crucible; they're donating quite a few Huragok to the cause, even. _

"_There is something else, Commander. The DDF are putting together a task-force to try and kick the Reapers off Equestria and out of that Realm, and they'd like to know if you could pitch in and help. They can't spare too many ships and resources for it right now, but if you can get the Reapers off-balance enough, help the locals and the DDF forces already there dig their feet in, then maybe you and they can push the Reapers out without too much collateral damage._"

"We'll head there as soon as we can, sir."

"_Good. I've gotta get back to it. Hackett out._"

As the old Admiral's image vanished, Shepard waited a few seconds, and then called up another old friend.

"_Shepard?_" Miranda's hologram said. "_Good to see you're alright. I heard about the attempted coup._"

"Yeah. With Kai Leng's help, Udina nearly seized control."

"…_Kai Leng? That slippery bastard's still alive?_"

"Yeah, and right in the middle of all this."

"_That complicates things. I'll be on my guard. Look, I don't have much time, but… I learned what happened to my sister._"

"Where is she?"

"_I don't know that yet, but my father was definitely responsible. …If he's done anything to her, __**I'll kill him**__._"

"Miranda…"

"_Shepard, listen. I'm being hunted by Cerberus assassins – a __**lot**__ of them. I need to stay out of sight._"

"What? Why?"

"_I heard a rumor, maybe more, that my father is working on something for the Illusive Man. Something big._"

"Why would your father be working with Cerberus? Especially now?"

"_My father is ruthless about preserving his 'legacy'. He has an obsession with making his mark in history, ensuring his 'dynasty' lasts forever._"

"And you think the Illusive Man made him an offer?"

"_Exactly._"

"Whatever's going on with him can't be good. We have to figure this out."

"_I agree, but… I need to do this myself. It's time I stopped running from him._"

"You're sure?"

"_Yes. I can't think straight until I know Ori is safe._"

"Be careful."

"_I can't promise that, Shepard. Could you?_"

"…No. Keep me posted."

"_I will._"

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next time: the _Normandy-II_ jumps Realms to assist against the Reapers on Equestria. What will they find? What will they face? And what old, deeply-buried secrets will be unearthed?

A note: my lines by and presentation of Kaidan in this fic may be… lacking, and flat. This is because (confession time) I have never done a Trilogy playthrough with him; I've always picked Ashley. So, I don't have as good a grasp on his character as I'd like. Now, in the next few months I plan to do a "Romance Liara, Save Kaidan" playthrough, and when that is done I can go back and change/update his scenes in this fic. But considering that 'the next few months' hold _Naruto: UNS Revolution_, _Pokémon Omega-Ruby/Alpha-Sapphire_, _Halo: The Master Chief Collection_ and the accompanying _Halo 5 _Beta, and (maybe) _Kingdom Hearts 1.5_ and _2.5_, it will likely be quite a while before I can do that playthrough. Sorry.


	17. Back in the Saddle

Sorry about the long wait; had a bunch of stuff going on at home, some big writer's blocks, a new translation project, _Naruto UNS Revolution_, and doctor stuff as we & they all tried (and failed) to determine what caused my allergic reaction or whatever-it-is and how to make it stop (started on September First, it's STILL going, and I am wholly convinced that it is, in fact, permanent and I'm going to have swelling, sensitive, itchy, blotchy hands, feet, and neck for the rest of my god-forsaken life…)

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Realm EQ-G4**

Several DDF warships emerged from trans-dimensional slipspace into the realspace of this Realm. While most of them went off to join the battles around the planet and its moon, one immediately engaged its stealth drive and made a silent beeline for the planet itself. Slagged ships and wrecked Reapers polluted the space around Equestria, and the _Normandy II_ quietly slipped around them, heading for the endangered world.

"What's the situation so far?" Shepard asked as he came up into the cockpit.

"Reaper forces attacking this world have been less in number than those which attacked the other outer-Realm targets" EDI reported. "However, there are still enough of them that our defending forces have been hard-pressed to keep them at bay. C.O.G. and Equestrian forces have put up a solid fight, but the Reapers will eventually bleed them dry. The capital city, Canterlot, is still standing, but has been subjected to frequent assaults since the invasion began. Furthermore, I have confirmed the presence of a Command-subtype Reaper, identified as 'Executor', coordinating the invasion."

"Do we have any DDF big-names groundside?"

"Let's see…" Joker checked the reports. "Yeah, we've got the Heart-Catch girls and Sonic down there as of a few days ago, and… Holy crap. Commander, remember that chaos spirit Discord, caused some trouble a couple months back? He's out again, and he's _helping_ against the Reapers!"

"It makes some sense" EDI chimed in. "The Reapers seek absolute order – cold, still, unchanging. Such a state of existence is anathema to a being like Discord."

"Yeah, no kid… Uh-oh"

"What is it, Joker?" Shepard asked.

"Reaper forces are starting another attack on the capital. Looks like a big one, too."

"Get us in as close as you safely can; I'll have the ground team ready for Cortez to drop us in."

**-**_**Break**_**-**

**Canterlot**

The Kodiak shuttle used its forward guns to wipe out a dozen Husks in the middle of a small plaza, and then set down there to drop off its passengers. Shepard, Garrus, Liara, Ashley, and Kaidan piled out, weapons ready and looking all around.

"It looks like the immediate area's clear for now" Liara reported.

"That could change any minute" Kaidan replied.

"Then let's move" Shepard said.

"It's too bad Wrex couldn't come along and we haven't heard from Tali yet" Garrus said as the team moved out. "We could've had the whole Old Guard back together."

"Guess we'll just have to tell them what they missed later" Ashley replied.

"Team Two, are you on the ground?" Shepard asked.

"_Affirmative_" James replied. "_And no, I didn't crash the shuttle this time. The seven of us will sweep through the marketplace and meet you outside the castle gates._"

Sounds of battle were close and far, and occasionally a flight of pegasi, a DDF fighter craft, or an Oculus drone would zip by overhead. Pockets of fighting were scattered all over, most at or near the west edge of the city where the bulk of the current attack was coming from but with a few elsewhere as a result of ground forces getting past city limits, 'leftover' Husk packs from previous attacks, or enemies being brought in by air via Harvesters or drop-pods. The two teams would take wide, 'curving' paths through the city that carried them through some of the fighting, to meet up just outside the royal sisters' castle. Moving through the streets along their assigned path, the team passed various signs of battle – bullet holes, bloodstains, scorch marks, and at one point a quartet of dead Husks unceremoniously dumped into a pile out of the way of foot-traffic paths.

After about five minutes of relative inactivity, as they rounded a corner they almost literally walked right into a squad of around a dozen Cannibals led by a Marauder. Team Shepard reacted first, the three Biotics unleashing Throw attacks that staggered the Turian Husk and sent two Cannibals flying, and they & the other three dove into cover just as the cyber-zombies started shooting. Shepard sent out a Combat Drone, the little construct drawing some of the enemy's fire and using its shock-blaster to wound and stagger them. Garrus stripped the Marauder's shields and took it out with a Mantis headshot, while Ashley used her assault rifle to quickly bring two Cannibals down before she was forced back into cover. Liara and Shepard used a Singularity/Warp combo to destroy three more of the Batarian Husks, and Kaidan froze two with a Cryo Blast for Garrus to shatter with a Concussive Shot. Incinerate blasts from the combat drone and Shepard brought most of the remainder down, with the last Cannibal being killed by Kaidan's Biotic Slam.

Moving on down their assigned path, they soon came across a store that had been made into a decently-defensible position, a handful of C.O.G. and Equestrian soldiers set up with sandbags, barricades, and even a tripod-mounted turret. After checking on them, making sure they were okay for a while, Team Shepard moved on. After a few minutes they reached another small plaza, and as they started through it they heard the groaning of Husks nearby. A pack of pony-Husks – two unicorn, two pegasus, and two earth-pony – emerged from behind the decorative fountain in the center of the plaza, the unicorn-Husks immediately firing concentrated bolts of energy; Shepard blocked one with a Biotic Barrier, while Garrus rolled to the side to dodge the other one.

The two pegasus-Husks flew fast and low over the ground toward the team, their wing-edge blades readied, and as they got close their bodies crackled with electrical energy. James rolled out of the way of one and blew its head off with his shotgun when it tried to come around at him, while Ashley used her Omniblade to block the other's wing-blade strike and then staggered as the electric discharge near-totally drained her shields. The pegasus Husk tried to slash its wing-blade across Ashley's throat, but Shepard Biotically grabbed and slammed it to the ground, killing it. As Garrus gunned one of the unicorn Husks down with his assault rifle, the earth-pony Husks' charge was interrupted as Liara tossed a Singularity in their path, snatching them up; a Biotic blast from Kaidan then violently destabilized the Singularity, tearing the Husks apart. The other unicorn Husk tried to fire another shot at Shepard, but a Concussive Shot from Garrus blasted it back, and an Incinerate from Shepard finished it off.

Suddenly, something huge leapt down from a roof behind the team, its feet cracking the stone pavement as it landed right behind them. Shepard immediately spun around, activating his Omniblade to block a downward swing from a plasma blade, the strike nearly overpowering him, and his eyes widened as he got a look at his attacker. It was around eight feet tall, with large and powerful muscles converted into synthetics for even more power, and a glowing plasma blade emerged from its palm, pressing down on Shepard's blade and slowly but surely outmuscling him. Upon seeing the familiar four-mandible structure of its jaws, Shepard quickly realized what it was: a Sangheili Husk.

Ashley fired her shotgun into the Sangheili Husk's side, but the monster's durable energy shields withstood the shot, albeit weakened. Shepard used the brief opportunity to twist to the side, avoiding the downward swing of the plasma blade that had been pressing down at him. The cyber-zombie activated another plasma blade from its other palm, and it lunged blade-first at Garrus, who cursed and threw himself backward, barely avoiding a stab to the neck. Kaidan hit the Sangheili Husk with an Overload, draining its weakened shields the rest of the way, and Shepard then Biotically hoisted it into the air, its arms and blades flailing as it tried and failed to hit someone. With the Husk helplessly hoisted, Ashley unloaded half a dozen close-range shotgun blasts into it, and soon the Biotic Lift dispelled to let the now-lifeless body drop to the ground.

"As if the Reapers didn't already have enough super-dangerous new Husk variants…" Kaidan murmured.

"James, this is Shepard. We just encountered a new Husk type made from Sangheili. Watch yourselves; these things are tough, strong, and have some nasty weapons."

"_Yeah, we ran into one, too; damn near took Zaeed's head off. At least they seem to be lacking in long-range attack ability, but they can move fast enough to close into melee range quickly so I guess that makes up for it. Stay sharp, Loco._"

"You, too. Shepard out."

Moving onward, after several more minutes free of fighting, Team Shepard found themselves passing through a small park, not too far from the castle. Suddenly Shepard signaled for everyone to hide, and they all moved behind trees, rocks, or benches. Up ahead a few dozen meters, a mixed pack of Husks – three Cannibals, one unicorn-Husk, three human-Husks, an earth-pony Husk, two Marauders, and a Sangheili Husk – was moving through the park, perpendicular to Team Shepard's path. Garrus and Shepard readied their sniper rifles, aiming at the Sangheili-Husk and one of the Marauders, respectively. Garrus fired first, his Mantis' round blowing the former Elite's head off, and a split-second later the Marauder fell to Shepard's shot. The Husks didn't even have time to figure out what was going on before Garrus sniped the other Marauder, leaving the other cyber-zombies without any leadership-type units. The remaining Husks finally spotted Team Shepard, the melee-types beginning to charge while the Cannibals and ex-unicorn opened fire. The human and earth-pony Husks were caught in a Singularity from Shepard and then torn apart by Liara destabilizing it, while sniper rounds from Shepard and Garrus took out the shooters.

The trip through the rest of the park and the area beyond was uneventful, and soon Team Shepard neared the castle's main gates, which had been heavily fortified with at least a dozen well-armed soldiers stationed at it, with cover and turrets set up. Upon seeing the team approach, they flagged them over.

"Commander Shepard?" a COG Sergeant greeted. "Wasn't expecting to see you & your team on this world, sir."

"We came to help" Shepard replied. "We've got another team coming from a different direction, and then we need to get inside the castle, speak to the higher-ups."

"Heads up!" one of the lookout pegasi called down. "We got a Husk Rush incoming!"

The local defenders immediately took their positions, and Team Shepard joined in, spreading out a bit and plugging 'holes' in the line. Within half a minute, a force of Husks – mostly basic melee-type ones made from humans and earth-ponies – emerged from around and within a building that sat across the 'street' from the castle gates. The human and earth-pony soldiers manning the two tripod-mounted turrets opened fire, shredding some of the approaching cyber-zombies. A few Cannibals started taking shots from the back, but Garrus and Ashley took them out with his Mantis and her Indra. Then, however, a Sangheili-Husk came out, charging full-speed right toward the defensive line. Everyone immediately focused all their guns on the beast, chipping away at its shields and armor. Finally, it fell dead, only a handful of feet away from the forward defenders.

A second wave of Husks entered the battlefield, this time with Marauder support. Shepard, Garrus, and Kaidan used Overloads to drain the Marauders' shields, leaving them vulnerable to precision shots from Ashley & Garrus and a heavy Warp from Liara. As the gate-guarders' guns chewed the charging Husks up, however, a Brute emerged from the structure, moving slowly but inexorably closer as rounds bounced off its thick armored hide, trying to get close enough to pull off a charge, But then, it was hit with an impressive amount of fire from its right side, signaling the arrival of the other team – James, Javik, Zaeed, Thane, Kal'Reegar, Eve, and EDI. A Warp from Thane, an Incinerate from EDI, and Carnage shots from James and Kal did significant damage to the Brute, blowing chunks out of its armor and injuring it quite a bit. A 'Dark Channel' attack from Javik did more damage, and then a charged energy bolt to the head from Eve finished the monster off. The rest of the Husk wave was quickly dealt with, and after another minute it seemed that they were done for now.

"All right," the COG Sergeant said, "check ammo, patch any holes, and grab a bite. Commander, you and your people will wanna check in with the big-wigs; we'll let you through."

The gate was opened, and the 13 people of Team Shepard hurried through as it closed behind them. Inside, the castle courtyard had all sorts of things set up – a field hospital, hardened bunkers, artillery cannons and tanks set up for direct- and indirect-fire defense, a vehicle depot, and plenty of soldiers along with some civilians. Many of them saluted as Shepard and company moved through, approaching the large main doors guarded by four elite Royal Guards clad in advanced armor and wielding spears with electric-field generators in the blades. As they got close, a horizontal plane of light shot out from magitech devices along the door's sides, running across and over the heads of the team.

"Your minds are your own" the guard said as he looked at the readouts. "You may proceed."

"Scanners that can detect the neurological 'footprint' of Indoctrination?" Garrus observed. "Now _that's_ damn useful. Maybe we can get some installed on the Citadel…"

"Such technology could have saved many lives during our cycle" Javik agreed. "We could still tell if someone was Indoctrinated by 'reading' them, but that required physical contact, which put the 'reader' well in an Indoctrinated agent's reach; you can imagine how that generally ended. To check for that from a distance, with a machine…"

Inside the castle, people and ponies moved about. Apparently the fighting hadn't actually reached here yet, the décor being totally unblemished, but there were still manned turrets and barricades set up facing the doors, just in case. Team Shepard continued deeper into the castle, soon reaching the throne room. It had been turned into a command center, with machines, terminals, holo-tables, and the like set up, and armed guards along the walls. Celestia, Shining Armor, Col. Hoffman, and Bernadette Mataki were gathered around the largest holo-table, at the foot of the steps leading up to the thrones.

"Shepard" Hoffman greeted. "Damned if you aren't a sight for sore eyes."

"Colonel, Princess… How are things going so far around here?"

"Better than we feared, worse than we hoped" Celestia replied. "The defenses in orbit have been able to give the Reapers pause, and we've managed to get all the other races of this world, including some of the dragons, to contribute and cooperate against the invaders. But civilian casualties in some areas have been significant, and our armed forces have taken enough losses that it's starting to show in the greater strategic picture. Sooner or later, they'll bleed us dry. The reinforcements sent by the UNSC and the Sangheili have been a significant help, but so far they can only halt the Reapers' advance, not actually push it back."

"Where are the Element-Bearers, and Delta Squad, and Cadence & Luna?"

"Or the Cures and Sonic?" Garrus added. "Or Gamma-6 and her little friend?"

"Twiley & her friends – that includes Trixie and Sunset – are helping set up a covert outpost in the old castle in the depths of Everfree Forest. Delta Squad and Luna are helping repulse the current attack from the west. Mai and Kizuna are currently part of Canterlot's east-border defense forces."

"The Cures are working with the gryphons," Mataki said, "makin' life hell for Reaper forces trying to get through the birds' mountain territory. Sonic's moving from trouble spot to trouble spot, helping wherever he can; last I heard, he was near Manehattan."

"Cadence, meanwhile," Celestia added, "is in orbit. Remember how I mentioned that the members of my family each had an old warship, a 6000-meter battleship, from the ancient-human civilization in the UNSC's home Realm? Hers, the _Harmonia_, is fit for duty and is aiding the battle against Reaper forces over the planet. …Mine, the _Solaria_, is still undergoing maintenance and refitting; it was mothballed for over 3,000 years, remember. And Luna's, the _Crescent Shade_, was left behind when she and I came to this world and set up The Veil."

"So, what have you folks accomplished since we last got updated?" Hoffman asked.

"We cured the Krogan genophage, got the Krogans and Turians to make nice, repulsed a Cerberus invasion of the Citadel – Udina's dead, I'll give you the full story later – and found & recruited the last living Prothean, convinced The Fallen's disciple to help us, and got EDI a mobile platform" he gestured to Javik, Eve, and EDI.

Celestia's and Hoffman's eyes widened a bit as they took it all in.

"Well… Sounds like we've _all_ been busy…" Celestia remarked.

There was a sudden flash of blue light a short distance away, as the Princess of the Night teleported in.

"Sister," Luna reported, "the attack from the west has been repulsed with minimal casualties and… Oh, Commander Shepard. We were not aware you had arrived."

"Your Highness…" Shepard bowed his head slightly. "Nice armor."

"Thank you" Luna said, looking down at the silver and dark-blue armor she wore. "It has been a while since last I needed to wear it. …We have, in the past, faced foes that bore a paltry few similarities to the Reapers in doctrine or capability, but nothing close enough for us to be _truly_ prepared for what faces us now. And their _numbers_…"

"Enough to darken the skies of every world," Javik chimed in, "as they boast. I know that sight well."

"…Who might you be?"

"I am called Javik, the last Prothean soldier, found in stasis on the world the humans call Eden Prime. The Commander is this cycle's best hope against the Reapers, so I fight for him."

There was a flashing red light from the holo-table's display of the orbital battle. A Sangheili _Councilor_-class assault carrier had been ganged up on by Reapers, taking out a fair few of them but being overwhelmed and destroyed; the killing shot had come from Executor. Oculus drones were being dispatched from the metal titans to track and destroy what starfighters and escape pods they could find.

"Damn it" Mataki pounded the edge of the table with her fist. "We can't keep this up forever. …We need a game-changer – something, anything, that can throw those squids for a loop, let us push back a little more."

Princess Luna looked around, uncertainty in her expression. She looked over at Shepard; if anyone could get to 'them'…

"There… may be something…" she spoke up, hesitantly.

Everyone turned to look at her.

"Whatcha mean?" Hoffman asked. "…Don't tell me you've been holding out on us, Luna. Why would you hide something that might give us an edge?"

"…Because I am ashamed of it."

"Luna…" Celestia spoke up, deducing. "Whatever it is, it's something that was originally made by Nightmare Moon to use against me, isn't it?"

Luna nodded, not quite able to look her sister in the eye. She took a deep breath.

"On the far side of our Moon," she said, "there is a massive subterranean complex, the vast majority of it devoted to a series of docks for the construction and storage of… a fleet of large and advanced space-warships."

"How advanced?" Shepard asked.

"As much as Celestia & Cadence's dreadnoughts; they are reverse-engineered from Forerunner designs. Though capable of operating under an independent crew or by synthetic intelligences, by default I can remotely control all of them from the command bridge of the flagship. It took me… It took Nightmare Moon centuries to construct them in secret, using raw materials harvested from all corners of this star system. She would have awakened and assumed control of them to wield against and crush Celestia's forces, but I was purified before that could happen."

"And now they might be just what we need to give the Reapers more to worry about…" Kaidan said.

"I'm guessing there's a reason you haven't gone for them already" Shepard said.

"More than one" Luna replied. "The first – and perhaps greatest – was my shame over the original reasons behind the ships' construction. The second is that, though not aware of exactly what is there, the Reapers know that _something_ is on the Moon. They have forces scouring the surface even now. I _could_ have gone to get the ships already, but my talents have been far too desperately needed planet-side; many battles so far could have been lost without my assistance. …But you, Commander, have changed things. You can deploy onto our Moon's surface, and make your way to the above-ground portion of the facility. Once inside, you can send the activation signal to the ships; I will then be able to teleport into the command bridge of the flagship, and bring the vessels out of their docks and into battle against the Reapers. But be warned; the Reapers' minions may have already reached the facility."

"If you do choose to undergo this endeavor," Celestia spoke up, "it will not be unsupported. Corona Agent Gamma is available; I will send her with you."

"…All right" Shepard said. "We'll do it. But we'll need a way to traverse the lunar landscape; it'll take too long and be too risky on foot."

Celestia smirked. "I believe we can take care of that."

In a flash of golden light, the two sisters and all of Team Shepard were teleported into a vehicle bay built into the side of the castle. Lights came on, as a lift delivered a certain, familiar vehicle.

"Aw, hell yeah" James said, grinning.

"Oh, Goddess…" Liara said with dread.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Equestria's Moon**

The _Normandy II_, its stealth systems engaged, flew low over the dusty grey lunar surface. As it briefly slowed down, its front hatch opened, and something came shooting out. The M35 Mako engaged its belly jets and its eezo core to slow its descent, bouncing a little as it landed.

"Okay," Shepard said, looking at the readouts, "our objective is a few clicks away. We've got some hills and some hostiles between here & there, so everyone buckle up."

"Ready when you are, Loco!" James said, manning the gun. "Let's go for a ride!"

"Just try not to get _too_ crazy with this thing, Shepard" Garrus said. "I'm not sure the insurance covers rentals."

"His driving can't be… _that_ bad, can it?" Golden Tiara asked, softly so only Garrus could hear her; she was remembering Liara and Ashley being particularly vehement in their refusal to come along.

The Turian's response was a low, ominous chuckle. Gulping, GT hooked one hoof around a handle on the wall near her.

The Mako started forward, rolling across the grey dust and rock as it followed the nav-point. The next few minutes were uneventful, moving up and down small, gentle slopes and along a flat plain, keeping an eye out for any activity. Suddenly, Shepard brought the Mako to a halt, looking through the 'scope'. Up ahead, far enough that they hadn't noticed the Mako yet, a group of Husks were being overseen by a Marauder. It looked like they were digging.

"They really think they can dig their way to it?" Shepard said. "Vega, if you please…"

James nodded, aiming the tank's main gun with help from a scope. He pressed the button, and the Mako rocked lightly as a high-explosive shell was propelled outward. The shot went off right in the center of the Husk cluster, kicking up a plume of moon-dust and blowing the vast majority of the cyber-zombies to bits, the blast sending the remainder flying in all directions. Shepard floored the accelerator, quickly bringing the Mako in close, and James used the coaxial machinegun to take out the few survivors, including the Marauder.

The Mako continued on in the direction of the objective. Seeing a 'small' hill/mound up ahead, Shepard accelerated, and GT yelped lightly as the Mako used the hill as a ramp, getting some respectable air. It happened to come down right on top of a small Husk pack, crushing the cyber-zombies and continuing on. Soon, a new obstacle presented itself: a fairly high, jagged rocky hillside with a moderately steep angle. Looking through the vid-screens showing outside, Agent Gamma spotted a gentler, smoother slope upward a few hundred meters to the right. But Shepard kept going straight.

"Wait…" GT said. "You're not gonna climb the cliff-face with this thing, are you?"

"Yep, he is" Garrus replied, one hand grabbing the 'panic handle' nearest him. "Hang onto something, Agent Gamma."

"Relax" Shepard told her. "I've made plenty of climbs like this in a Mako before…"

"Hell yeah" James added. "There's almost no slope a Mako can't handle."

The Mako jerked as it started driving up the rocky slope, using the momentum from its flat-ground approach to make it a good ways up fairly quickly. Rocks and dust tumbled down in the tank's wake as it determinedly ascended, the six tires digging into whatever they could. Golden Tiara looked rather worried, Garrus looked calm but was still clutching the 'panic handle', and Shepard & James looked to actually be enjoying this a little. The ascent angle steepened as they neared the top, and the Mako's climb began to slow; Tiara was actually worried they'd stall and slide or tumble back down.

"Come on, old girl…" James murmured. "You can make it…"

Shepard decided to use an old trick he'd figured out back during the hunt for Saren. Without letting up on the gas, he carefully angled the Mako so it was now climbing diagonally. This gave it a bit more traction, and just enough extra speed to make it the rest of the way. GT let out a sigh of relief as the tank was finally again on level ground.

"Told you I could do it" Shepard called back to her.

After another half a minute or so of driving, the Mako suddenly came under fire. A quick look-around found the culprits to be a trio of Ravagers, their heavy guns chipping away at the tank's shields. Shepard kept the Mako in motion, zigzagging and going back & forth to minimize the hits they took, while James used the big gun to sequentially destroy the three Rachni Husks. Once they were dead, the Mako rolled on. The next several minutes were quiet. Finally, they reached a cliff edge overlooking a lower area down below, and in the middle of that was a small structure.

"That's gotta be it" James said. "The part of the facility that sticks up above ground."

"I think I see a slope shallow enough for us to drive down a few hundred meters to the east" Golden Tiara observed.

"That might take too long" Shepard replied. "Every minute we spend is a minute more people are dying against the Reapers."

"…Wait" GT's eyes widened. "Y-You're not going to…"

The Mako started moving forward.

The Corona agent went pale. "Oh, sweet Fauna Luster…"

"Aw, yeah," James said, "time for a shortcut."

"This is worryingly familiar…" Garrus muttered, tightening his grip on the 'panic handle' as GT did the same.

'Tipping' over the edge, the Mako began picking up speed as it drove/slid and bounced down the steep rocky slope. About halfway down, it hit a rock with enough speed and angle that it lost all traction, and Golden Tiara screamed as the multi-ton tank became completely airborne, plummeting down, its wheels spinning as its engine roared. The Mako was about to land belly-first on a big rock jutting upward, when Shepard suddenly hit the thrusters for the underside-mounted jets, propelling the tank outward and getting even more air. The jets and the element-zero core worked to slow the vehicle's descent, but its landing was still hard enough that the occupants were very nearly tossed out of their seats. Golden Tiara panted for breath with eyes wide, holding a hoof to her heart, and she was pretty sure her grip on her handle had bent the metal a little.

"Yeah…" Garrus said. "Definitely just like old times…"

"Now _that's_ what I'm talkin' about!" James said. "Better than any rollercoaster!"

"See?" Shepard said to the Corona agent. "That wasn't so bad."

GT could only give him a look of astonishment (and a few other emotions) as the tank rolled on. Finally, it reached the outside of the facility, parking by the 'front door'. Everyone donned their helmets and made sure their suits were sealed, and then the air inside the vehicle was quickly shunted into storage tanks. The hatch opened, and everyone piled out, boots kicking up bits of dust as they walked across the lunar surface. Very faint flashes of light were visible in the starry sky, signs of the battle still raging. The team made their way to the structure, passing through the outer airlock door.

Once inside, oxygen was pumped into the airlock room, equalizing pressure. A chime sounded, and Shepard, James, & Garrus removed their helmets, while Agent Gamma kept her helmet on but deactivated the vacuum seal. Passing through the door and into the facility proper, they kept their eyes sharp and weapons ready. Lights came on, distant from each other and moderately dim, making enough light to see and move by but still dark enough to add to the atmosphere.

"Listen for anything out of place, and keep an eye on your motion trackers" Shepard said, readying his N7 Eagle.

Cautiously, they advanced further into the facility. After a few minutes of skulking through dark corridors, they still hadn't found any resistance, and that stillness and silence unnerved them. When, several minutes in, they encountered the first Husk pack, it was almost a relief. The formerly-human cyber-zombies emerged from an alcove, rushing toward Team Shepard. Agent Gamma made the first move, tossing out a green-hued Biotic Shockwave-Chain that sent about half of the Husk pack flying in different directions, killing all but three. As she then drew and fired her SMG, James used his shotgun to blow away two Husks that had gotten too close. Garrus' Phaeston rifle made short work of the survivors of GT's attack, while Shepard tossed out a couple Incinerate blasts and then brought his N7 Hurricane to bear. Between his and Agent Gamma's fire, the remaining Husks were quickly slain.

Moving forward, they reached a lift that brought them a floor down. The moment they stepped off the elevator, they were attacked by a squad of Cannibals. Immediately Shepard and Golden Tiara tossed out Singularities, the blue and green spheres of Biotic energy snatching up all but three of the Batarian Husks. They then used Warps to destabilize each other's Singularities, the explosions ripping apart the Cannibals caught up in them. As for the three remaining, assault rifle fire from Garrus and James took care of them easily enough.

Another stretch of peace & quiet followed, as the team made their way toward the control room. As they arrived, the door silently slid open to reveal a Marauder with its back to them, looking over a terminal and trying to figure out how to activate it. Before it could even turn around, Garrus took out its shields with an Overload and Shepard immediately then put two rounds into the back of its head. After the corpse was moved aside, Shepard quickly got the terminal online and transferred the program Luna had given him into it. Soon, the readings showed as the flagship's reactor came online, with other ships beginning to 'check in' soon after. Then, his omnitool chimed as it received a message – Luna had successfully teleported onto the bridge of the flagship.

"_Excellent work, Shepard_" she said over the comm. "_I shall be able to take it from here. You and your companions may wish to return outside so as to witness my ships' emergence._"

Shepard and his team turned to leave, the door sliding open as they approached… and revealing the Brute that had been waiting right there on the other side. James cursed in Spanish as he threw himself to the floor, barely dodging the claw that had been swung at his head. The other three leapt back, GT Biotically pulling James to safety as Shepard fired an Incinerate. The blast began burning away through the Brute's armor, but the super-Husk didn't just sit still for that. It charged, forcing Garrus and GT to roll out of the way, and as she came out of the roll GT lashed out with a Biotic Push that knocked the Brute off-balance mid-charge, leading it to crash into a wall.

The Brute groaned and shook its head, fighting off the daze, while everyone started pouring rounds intro its back. They managed to do some damage before it spun around, snarling, and charged at Shepard, swinging its huge claw. The Commander ducked and threw himself to the left, dropping a Combat Drone as he did, and the little drone started zapping the Brute in the face, making it bring its big arm up to shield its head. Agent Gamma got in close, unleashing a point-blank Warp right into the Brute's gut, and the beast roared in pain and anger, pounding its big fist down at her but missing. This, however, left its head vulnerable, and a shotgun blast from James blew half its face off. The super-Husk staggered, its remaining eye glaring death at James, but then Shepard moved in with an Omniblade stab from its blind side, impaling the glowing blade through the Brute's skull. The beast's eye lost its light, and it fell to the ground dead.

With the way clear, Team Shepard made their way back outside unmolested. As they walked across the lunar surface toward the parked Mako, the ground began to rumble. Motion caught their eyes, as several hundred meters away the grey ground shifted, two doors of an enormous subterranean hangar sliding open. Soon, something began to emerge upward from it – a ship, with sharp angles and sleek curves, black and midnight-blue in color, the word "_AMALTHEA_" on the side. It was nearly 1,000 meters long.

"Ma'am?" Shepard radioed. "Is that your flagship?"

"_Nay, Commander_" Luna replied. "_That is one of the smaller vessels._"

More motion sprang up, as all over the area for several kilometers around more hangars of varying size opened up, and more ships began to emerge. Team Shepard watched in awe as the titans rose up over the next minute, culminating in two _gigantic_ vessels – one bearing numerous launch bays and the size of the _Harmonia_, and another bristling with weapon emplacements including the 'barrel' of a massive main gun poking out from the bow that was even bigger.

"_Behold! The Eclipse Fleet!-!_"

11 _COPERNICUS_-CLASS CORVETTES (_Aegaeon_, _Anthe_, _Kale_, _Cyllene_, _Kore_, _Herse_, _Mneme_, _Pasithee_, _Sponde_, _Orthosie_, _Euporie_) – 400M

9 _APOLLO_-CLASS FRIGATES (_Phoebe_, _Larissa_, _Sycorax_, _Janus_, _Galatea_, _Himalia_, _Namaka_, _Amalthea_, _Despina_) – 985M

7 _HERTZSPRUNG_-CLASS DESTROYERS (_Enceladus_, _Miranda_, _Proteus_, _Mimas_, _Nereid_, _Hyperion_, _Dysnomia_) – 1200M

6 _ARISTARCHUS_-CLASS CRUISERS (_Oberon_, _Iapetus_, _Umbriel_, _Ariel_, _Dione, Tethys_) – 2200M

4 _HUMBOLDT_-CLASS BATTLECRUISERS (_Europa_, _Triton_, _Titania_, _Rhea_) – 2750M

2 _TYCHO_-CLASS BATTLESHIPS (_Callisto_, _Io_) – 3100M

1 _IMBRIUM_-CLASS ASSAULT CARRIER (_Titan_) – 6000M

1 _AITKEN_-CLASS DREADNOUGHT (_Ganymede_) – 8500M

"Holy shit…" James breathed out, his jaw dropped inside his helmet.

"Now _that's_ a fleet" Garrus remarked.

"Joker, you seeing this?" Shepard radioed.

"_Hell yeah, I am! They're enormous! Man, the Reapers won't know what hit 'em. Anyway, I'm coming to pick you guys up and bring you back planet-side._"

"Roger that."

As Team Shepard climbed into the Mako to wait for the _Normandy II_, Shepard looked up at the sky as the Eclipse Fleet took to the stars, heading for the main orbit battle. Aboard the bridge of the _Ganymede_, Princess Luna took a slow, deep breath to focus herself.

"This fleet of mine shall protect our world from those who would do it harm" she murmured. "The Reapers will know _fear_…"

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: Equestria, Part 2


	18. Cavalry Rides In

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

**The alicorns of the 'Pantheon' are the creation of fan-ficcer & deviant-Artist 'Alex Warlorn', and are used with his permission**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Realm EQ-G4 – Equestria – outside Manehattan**

A Marauder fell as a spinning, spiky blue ball slammed into it with significant speed and force. Rebounding from the 'homing attack' and landing on his feet, Sonic looked out at the nearby city, beneath a dreary overcast sky. Smoke rose up from various points, as did gunfire aimed at Harvesters overhead. The people were fighting back hard, but the Reapers were grinding them down.

"_Blue-1, come in_" a man's voice said over the comm.

"Here" Sonic replied. "What's up?"

"_We've got some evac ships waiting to take off from the park along the city's southern border, but the area's too hot for them to get off the ground. We could use some help clearing them out._"

"Understood. I'm outside the north border of the city, but… well, you know my capabilities. I'll be there in 30 minutes tops."

"_Glad to hear it. Out._"

Sonic sighed. "Well," he murmured, "let's see if I can save some more lives this time…" He hopped down off the rocky outcropping he'd been standing on, and sped off into the city.

('LEVEL' MUSIC: _Sonic Generations _OST – "Stardust Speedway (Bad Future) US Version")

Racing down the street, Sonic zigzagged around 'potholes' that had been blasted in the road. A pack of Husks was right up ahead, and he accelerated, a faint blue corona of energy surrounding him, and blasted right through them, sending them flying every which way. A little ways further there was a cluster of abandoned vehicles blocking the road, so Sonic leapt onto the side of a bordering building and ran along it sideways, leaping off the other side to get back on the road.

Turning left along an intersection, Sonic came across a group of UNSC marines engaged in a firefight against a group of Cannibals led by a trio of Marauders. He quickly used a chain of Homing Attacks to take out the Turian Husks, and then a 'Boost Crash' to destroy about half of the Batarian Husks. The marines quickly handled the rest, and the Blue Blur sped on.

Sonic hung a right and boost-ran his way up the side of a 30-story building, and at the top there happened to be a few patrolling Pegasus Husks that he was able to Homing-Attack to get some forward momentum going. He jumped & ran along the rooftops of towers for a short while, making his way south, and then ran back down the side of another building to return to ground level. A few more mixed Husk groups were Boost-Crashed through, and Sonic soon found himself passing through a park. Halfway through it, he encountered a few artillery guns being zealously defended by a mixed human/pony force of soldiers against encroaching Husk forces. Sonic slowed down a bit and joined the fray, striking with melee blows powered by super-speed and his enhanced strength. Husks fell to the hedgehog hero, and more of the cyber-zombies turned their attention to him, Cannibals and Marauders firing their guns. He managed to dodge the shots, and the soldiers took advantage of the enemy's distraction to rally and focus fire, bringing more of them down. A Brute charged in, swinging its massive claw at Sonic's head, but he ducked and unleashed a flurry of super-speed rising punches to its gut, following by a springing Homing Attack that knocked it back; a rocket from one of the soldiers took the stunned Brute out.

With the big guns safe, Sonic hurried on. Over the next few minutes he sped down streets, around corners, and up & down buildings, plowing through Husks here & there. Finally, he was nearing the southern 'edge' of the city, and at the other end of a ~mile-long 'straightaway' street he could see the evac ships. Unfortunately, he could also see a Reaper Destroyer approaching them from the west, heavy gunfire practically bouncing off its ancient armor. Frowning, he took off down the wide, long, empty straight street, gaining speed. Halfway down, he concentrated on the Chaos Emeralds currently 'stored' inside of him, and called upon the power of four of them. Focusing their power, he embraced it and let it merge with him like he did when he went into his Super form. A bright blue aura of energy surrounded him, and his quills spiked out partially, their very tips turning gold, while his eyes glowed faintly with power. In this 'Pseudo-Super form', his speed increased even further, sonic booms being left in his wake as he barreled toward the Reaper Destroyer, which by chance had turned and caught sight of his approach. The ancient machine's huge red photoreceptor glowed as a beam of relativistic molten metal was fired out, slicing a line up the street, but Sonic side-stepped the beam, the Emeralds' power protecting him from the ambient heat.

As Sonic got close, the Reaper tried to stomp on him, but not only did he avoid it, he ran up the titan's metal leg, racing up toward its body. It prepared to fire at him point-blank, but he was faster, racing in between the opened plates on the Destroyer's front. Seconds later, the people watching from in & around the evac ships below saw as small explosions chained through the Destroyer's main body, as Sonic blitzed his way through the titan's innards, targeting and blasting through anything that looked important. Finally, he burst out through the Reaper's 'face', having punched clean through its core. The Destroyer's lights went out, and it toppled to the ground with a pavement-cracking thud. Sonic skidded to a stop after landing, his body returning to normal as he released hold of the four Emeralds' power. Seconds later, with their approach vector cleared by the Destroyer's death, a flight of UNSC Shortswords flew by, performing a bombing run that wiped out most of the Reaper ground forces harassing the evac ships from the east. With that done, the ships began to take off, the Shortswords acting as escort as one by one they took to the skies.

"That was easy enough…" Sonic said as he watched the ships and their escorts fly up & away. "Now, I think there was an armored convoy having trouble getting through a Reaper blockade in the southeast sector; a hero's work is never done, I guess…"

After taking a couple minutes to rest, he took off again.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Everfree Forest**

Two 'teams' made their way down the forest path together, heading in the direction of Ponyville. Team Normandy – the entirety of the ground team, led by Shepard – and Team Harmony – the six Element-Bearers plus Trixie and Sunset (who, for once, was in her pony form) – had finished helping the old castle be converted into a temporary base for DDF forces operating in the forest and monitoring the area, and were now heading back to the town for pickup. The emergence and entry into battle of Luna's 'Eclipse Fleet' earlier today had been a boon, the huge and advanced vessels – controlled remotely and magically/telepathically by Luna from the bridge of the _Ganymede _– proving capable of giving the Reapers pause; combine that with the other DDF warships in the system (including Cadence's dreadnought _Harmonia_), and the Reapers were actually 'slightly' on the defensive now.

But the battle was still far from won. The Reapers were patient, and they were stubborn, so they were not about to call it quits that easily, especially after being forced to retreat from the other DDF worlds they'd assaulted. Already they were trying to step up their attack in some areas, putting pressure on the local defending forces.

The group was on edge, weapons and powers ready to be used at a moment's notice; the forest was known to have some Husk forces prowling through it, and word had it that the Reapers had started making Husks out of some of the local wildlife on Equestria. As they passed through a part of the path shaded by tree canopies overhead, some of the tress above them rustled. That was the only warning they got before a pair of human-Husks dropped down from the treetops right toward Shepard and Twilight. Twilight semi-instinctively teleported a few feet to the side and then blasted the just-landed Husk with a conjured fireball, while Shepard Biotically grabbed the one falling towards him and Slammed it to the ground. Several more Husks leapt down from the treetops, landing amongst or around the group. Eve shifted her staff to its double-energy-blade form, while Sunset called forth her 'chain-sword' staff, holding it with her hooves and her magic, and the two began carving through Husks. Meanwhile, shotguns were drawn and put to use by Ashley, James, Kal, and AJ, taking advantage of the close quarters to quickly cut down on enemy numbers. Rarity made spears of rock shoot up from the ground, precisely skewering a few more of the formerly-human creatures, while Javik, Kaidan, and Liara tossed out Biotic shockwaves that splattered more against the rocks and trees. Very soon, the area was clear.

"That's one bad thing about movin' in groups this big" Zaeed remarked. "With all you lot pitchin' in, I didn't even get to fire a shot before it was all over."

"You'll get your chance" Shepard replied. "There's _always_ more… Let's keep moving."

They continued through the forest, picking up the pace a little. Reaching the edge of a clearing, empty and still, Shepard called for a halt. After a few seconds of looking at the open space suspiciously, he quietly signaled for EDI to send out a holographic 'decoy'. The AI complied, a faintly-shimmering representation of her mobile platform 'running' out into the open area. Shepard's suspicion proved well-founded as a shot from a hidden Ravager's cannon passed through the hologram, dispersing it. Having tracked the shot, Garrus looked through his rifle's scope, quickly spotting the Rachni Husk hiding amongst the trees. He fired a shot, the Mantis round punching into the Ravager's armored hide, and the creature shrieked in anger as it emerged, firing its twin cannons at the group. A combined Barrier from Twilight and Trixie blocked the shots, and Javik's 'Dark Channel' attack was followed by Liara's Warp, the ensuing Biotic detonation ripping the Ravager open. A few pistol shots from Zaeed finished the struggling creature off.

The sun was setting now as the group continued on, hurrying through the clearing. After several more minutes of quiet, they suddenly felt a deep rumble shake the ground, birds taking flight as trees rustled. A few seconds later, there was another tremble, then another, and the group realized they were feeling giant footsteps. Rainbow Dash flew upward, above the trees, and even from down below the others could see her eyes widen.

"Uh, we got a problem here!" she said as she came back down. "There's a Destroyer heading right this way! Its path is gonna take it right towards Ponyville, and we happen to be _in_ that path!"

As she spoke, the ground-shaking thuds and mechanical noises grew closer and closer, and the group realized they were in real danger of being stepped on. Soon, the huge black shape of the Destroyer could be seen through the treetops, getting closer and closer.

"Everyone, get close!" Twilight called. "Trixie, Sunset, Rarity, with me!"

As the Harmony and Normandy teams got in close, the four unicorns linked their magic together, dividing the load for an emergency group teleport. The entire group vanished in flashes of light, and mere seconds later the Reaper Destroyer's foot came down where they had been. A few seconds after that, they appeared near the edge of the Everfree Forest, with Ponyville in sight. Soon, the Destroyer's steps could be felt again, and the titan was again visible. The two 'teams' stood nervously in waiting, watching as the Reaper Destroyer stomped its way through the Everfree Forest, the colossal technorganic abomination towering over the ancient trees that it trampled underfoot as it made its way toward Ponyville. The setting Sun's light reflected off of its black armor as it advanced.

Suddenly, however, there was a massive shape rising from near the caves within the forest - a massive purple-hued creature as big as the Destroyer, with glowing red eyes and white star-like patterns on its body. It lunged at the ancient trespasser, the invading being barely avoiding a strike from giant claws. The Reaper let loose its deep, bass horn-like sound, specifically tuned to instill instinctual fear into organics that heard it. The Ursa Major, undaunted, let out its own ear-splitting roar, a challenge.

The group stood awestruck as they watched the ensuing clash of titans.

The Reaper struck first, firing its slicing red beam. The Ursa Major, showing agility that belied its size, dodged the beam and lunged forward, striking at the joint of the Reaper's left front leg. Sparks flew and metal crumpled as the ancient metal began to give way. Before the Reaper could fire again, the Ursa latched on to the weakened section with its powerful jaws and bit down, completely severing the appendage. The Reaper's leg toppled to the ground, crushing trees beneath it.

The Reaper let out an angry howl as it adjusted its remaining three legs to maintain balance. It fired again, and the beam sliced across the Ursa Major, scorching its thick hide. The star-beast let out a roar, but pushed past the pain. The Reaper felt surprise that its beam had, upon closer inspection, caused only surface damage. The ancient machine readied to fire again, only for the Ursa to grab hold of the opened armor-plates and pull outward, ripping them partially off and exposing the Reaper's innards. It dodged the beam and then dug in with both paws, grabbing hold and yanking out two huge paws-full of internal components.

The Reaper 'screamed' and thrashed around. The Ursa Major grabbed hold again and reached its jaws in, pulling out another mouth-full of parts. It then began charging power, the stars on its body glowing as energy gathered in its mouth. Finally, it let loose a blast of white starlight-energy into the Reaper at point-blank. The Destroyer went still, its lights going out, and when the Ursa released it, it toppled to the ground, dead. The gigantic star-bear threw its head high and let out a roar of triumph.

Everyone's jaws had pretty much hit the floor at this display. Rainbow Dash summed up their impressions:

"Ho...ly... fuck..."

Suddenly, there was a 'crack' from behind and to the right of the group, followed immediately by a different sound right behind them. They spun around to see a Marauder topple over, a sizable hole blown through its head. The person who'd fired the killing shot approached with his squadmates.

"Hey, Shepard" Marcus Fenix said as Baird slung his sniper rifle over his back. "It's been a while."

"Delta Squad" Shepard smiled. "Fancy running into you here. How's everything been lately?"

"Well, we haven't lost any members yet" Dom replied. "Though, with how this war's going…"

"Yeah… I think we're supposed to report back to Celestia now, for another assignment."

"She's busy at the moment" Baird replied. "The Reapers are making a push in gryphon territory, so she went to help."

Suddenly, a shiver ran along Eve's body, and she gazed up at the sky.

"What's wrong?" Shepard asked her.

"Something's coming…" she said. "I think it's coming from… 'outside'. And it's strong – _really_ strong…"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Gryphon Territory**

Explosive blasts of fire and Light rained down on Husks as the Alicorn of the Sun came to the aid of the human/pony/gryphon forces fighting the enemy. A Harvester flew at Celestia, firing its head-mounted cannons, and she twisted up and to the side, dodging the shots and the tackle, and fired a concentrated explosive fire blast that blew the synthetic beast's head off. Down below, she saw as magic-based energy blasts in pink, light-blue, gold, light-purple, and green cut down many Reaper ground forces; the HeartCatch Cures were still hard at work as well.

Celestia landed at the head of a group of mixed soldiers trying to hold off a Husk wave, and she fired a sweeping 'beam' of Light magic that sliced a few dozen of the cyber-zombies in two. She followed this up with a wave of bright flame that incinerated most of the rest. But then, as she panted lightly for breath, a standard Reaper Dreadnought dropped in less than a kilometer away, 'looking' right at her and the soldiers behind her. Its weapon glowed brightly as it readied to fire, and Celestia realized she would need a few more seconds to bring up a shield strong enough to protect herself and the soldiers behind her. Seconds she didn't have, as the crimson beam fired…

A huge brilliant dome of glowing 'light' formed around Celestia and the soldiers, ancient and exceedingly powerful defensive magic effortlessly deflecting the Reaper's weapon. When Celestia opened her eyes, she saw in front of her an alicorn stallion, lean in build with light-grey fur and dark-grey mane, the latter streaked with white. He was clad in dull-silver armor of an unknown metal, and his Mark was a shield with a tower engraved on it. Upon seeing him, she felt a mixture of deep shock and a little fear, seeing one of her siblings whom she hadn't seen in over 3,000 years.

"Hey, Celestia" he said. "Good timing on my part, huh?"

"T… Turris…" she murmured. "But… But how…?"

He turned to face her directly, as behind him the Reaper was caught with its shields down by a dual MAC strike from orbit that took it down. "When the 'Reapers' ripped a rift in-between Realms to attack this world… they also accidentally tore down The Veil."

As if to punctuate his statement, there was a harsh noise and a flash of blue light above as a massive ship emerged from slipspace a few kilometers off the ground and started deploying drone fighters; it was a six-kilometer vessel of the same class as Cadence's _Harmonia_ and Celestia's still-being-prepared _Solaria_ – the _Immovable Object_, Turris' dreadnought. Seconds later, in high orbit, space-time rippled and distorted as 14 more vessels of the same class but each of different coloring emerged from slipspace, their vast array of weapons coming online and being turned against the very surprised Reapers. From the bridges of the _Ganymede_ and the _Harmonia_, Luna and Cadence quickly recognized the familiar shape of the multiple new dreadnoughts, and realized what this meant. Back down on the surface, Celestia tried to fight against panic rising inside her.

"Calm down, sister" Turris told her. "We're all on your side here. Mortis explained everything after he helped you all on Ulnar, including the stuff about Amon and Xehanort. …Though, I feel you and your allies should know this: recently, those two have begun to field their forces against the Reapers as well."

"…Really?"

"Yes. We don't know exactly why, but the Fallen Xel'Naga and the Fallen Keyblade Master apparently feel that the Reapers are a threat to them as they are to the Dimensional Defense Force, and have temporarily suspended aggressive actions against your inter-planar allies for the duration of this conflict, to focus on Harbinger's faction. They may even _aid_ us in this war."

"This is… all a very great deal to take in…"

"_Your Majesty?_" a Royal Guardsman back at the castle contacted over the radio. "_Can you hear me, ma'am?_"

"Y-Yes" Celestia replied. "Speak."

"_In addition to the unexpected new reinforcements that just arrived, we've received word that the _Solaria_ has just completed its restoration and refitting; it's taken months of work, but your dreadnought is __**finally**__ ready for battle again._"

"Good. That is good news. I will transport myself to it once I can. Report any further developments to me at once."

"_Of course, ma'am._"

She looked up to see Turris grinning. "It seems Equestria's defense has received a much-needed bolstering, wouldn't you say?"

"Indeed it has…"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Next Day – mid-morning**

The combination of the Eclipse Fleet and the Alicorns' Fleet had made quite a difference. The Reapers' numbers, in space and on the ground, were being steadily ground down; though, they were fighting even harder in response, giving everything they had to avoid being pushed out. Executor had gone to ground somewhere, hiding himself and directing his 'lesser' brethren from the shadows. The meeting between the three Equestria-based alicorns and their long-lost siblings hadn't really progressed far, due to reluctance and needing to focus on the battle; Celestia had only spoken directly with Turris, Mortis, and Galaxia so far, while Cadence and Venus had been all too happy to be reunited, having been very close amongst the alicorns, and around half of the newly-arrived siblings had gotten to speak with 'the new' Luna, but then only briefly due to the Night Alicorn needing to focus to control her ships and being fairly peeved about what they 'allowed' to happen to her previous self.

In space, the multiple capital ships coordinated; Puerilis' _Potentium_ and Judicium's _Sounding Horn _worked to box in Reapers so Leo Fortis' _Unstoppable Force_ and Currus' _Conquistador_ could strike down the middle; Venus' _Cupid's Arrowhead_ flew with the _Harmonia_ and Galaxia's _Resurrect_ to protect evac ships; Justitia's _Rule of Law_, Abbatissa's _Scale of Hymns_, and Rota Fortuna's _Hecate_ harassed Reaper forces' flanks; Imperatrix's ship _Eros' Grace_ and Princeps' _Authoritatus_ flew mixed in with some of the Eclipse Fleet's ships; Eremo's _Unattainable Knowledge_, Pensilis' _Sacrificaro_, and Mortis' _Thanatos_ aided UNSC and Sangheili ships in pushing at the Reapers trying to come through the rift; the _Immovable Object_ and the newly-deployed _Solaria_ defended some of the surviving orbital gun platforms so they could continue their work; and 'the old' Luna's _Crescent Shade_, preemptively made combat-ready by the other alicorns after Ulnar, had been brought out of subspace 'storage' by the other alicorns, and the current Luna had promptly 'linked' it with the Eclipse Fleet so that she could control it along with the others from the _Ganymede_.

The _Spellbound_, dreadnought of the long-deceased Amicitia, remained in subspace 'dry-dock' out of respect, while the fallen Morning Star's vessel _Infernal Beauty_ had long since been destroyed and harvested for parts millennia ago.

It had also been discovered that Turris' information was true: reports were coming in, from a few scouts on Equestria and from scattered sightings elsewhere in contested territory in Realm ME-N7, of Heartless and Hybrids attacking Reaper ground forces and ignoring – or, in at least one case, actually _aiding_ – DDF or Citadel-race forces. There'd also been a sighting of Saïx exterminating a Cerberus base, and of Joker (as in, Pierrot's former minion now serving Amon) making mincemeat out of a Ravager pack. Combine this with the fact that the Allied Shinobi Forces were finally taking to the field in appreciable numbers, and the Reapers' advance was starting to slow in places.

At the moment, Eve T'Lesh was – thanks to magitech FTL inter-Realm communications – in a conversation that she'd never imagined herself having. She had been there to 'pick up the call' when Fate Testarossa tried to contact Mai and Kizuna, but they were off on a mission at the moment. Having heard about everything so far, Fate had managed to convince Eve not to hang up on her, and had actually drawn her into a hesitant but non-hostile conversation. Eve hated most humans, but she supposed that it made sense this one was different, seeing as all the 'Darkness' of her Heart had been stripped away. She was so kind and patient… Not to mention, there was something else that seemed to draw Eve to her…

"Hmph…" Eve had a tiny smile as she looked to Fate. "You… You really are her 'Other'…"

"…_Pardon?_"

"I've met Ruin – three times, in fact. We're… friends."

At this, Fate's eyes widened on the holo-screen, her mouth just a little open.

"The first time we met," Eve continued, "she sought me out because she wanted a fight, to test what I could do. We fought to the point where both of us were equally exhausted, and she praised my ability and my resolve, told me she liked me. The second time was a couple weeks later. We fought a little more, but it was more of a sparring match this time. After that, we just… relaxed and talked together. The third time was about a week before the Reaper War started. We didn't fight; we just sat together, talked, relaxed… I had my armor dispelled, and it got chilly out with a breeze going, so she partially unzipped that big black cloak of hers and… bade me to crawl inside, pressed up close against her." She blushed faintly, remembering Ruin coaxing her into resting her head on/between the 'older' girl's sizable breasts as the duo squeezed in pressed close together inside the black cloak. "She was so… warm, and soft, and gentle. She held me, and… I swear, at one point, when I looked up at her, she had a little smile, and her eyes… for that moment, they weren't gold; they were red, and kind, like yours. …All the hatred I hold for humans, and yet I end up forming a bond like this with someone who's literally a human's Darkness made flesh. You never know what will happen, I guess…"

Suddenly, Eve's Omnitool chimed.

"Gotta go; Shepard's called a meeting. Farewell for now… Ms. Fate."

As Eve terminated the connection, back on Midchilda Fate leaned back against a chair, a little shocked. Ruin had actually… Fate's mind raced; maybe, just as a sapient-form Nobody could develop a complete Heart by interacting with others, perhaps an 'incomplete' being that started out composed wholly of Darkness could, given the right circumstances and opportunities, start to develop a bit of their own Light…

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Mountains north of Canterlot**

"_Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu!_"

The burst of chakra-formed lava that Kizuna Kawamura unleashed engulfed a Brute, the hybrid Husk being melted away, its struggles quickly ceasing. The boy took a deep breath, looking around at the other dead Husk-types in the area.

"That's the third batch in 20 minutes" Mai said, nudging with her foot a Marauder she'd killed.

"Must mean we're getting close to something interesting" Shepard replied.

It was a slightly odd group – Shepard, Eve, Garrus, Mai, Kizuna, Sonic, Reisen, and Sunset – who found themselves moving through the mountains, investigating reports that something big was up out here in the mountains. So far, they'd found two curiosities: the presence of Reaper forces way out here far away from any civilization, and an _enormous_ storm cloud that covered the sky in thick dark-gray for several miles around. Attempts by scanners to see inside the storm had been fruitless; something was actively disrupting scans in the area.

"That thing doesn't look natural" Sonic said, looking up at the humongous storm. "I'll bet the Reapers stirred it up somehow. The question is: why?"

"To hide something, maybe?" Garrus suggested. "That would explain the sensor-jamming."

The group moved on, making their way around the mountain they were currently on. After about 20 minutes, they'd made it far enough around that something became visible that was most definitely not part of the natural scenery. A spire of twisting black metal around 80 feet tall was nestled in the rocks, a pillar of wavering blue & black… energy, for lack of a better word, twisting up into the sky, feeding the giant storm-cloud.

"Well…" Sunset said. "That's not a natural formation." 

"**TRESPASSERS…**"

The impossibly deep, booming voice echoed throughout the mountains, seeming to come from everywhere. Sonic and Reisen, however, were able to determine the source direction:

"Executor…" Sonic said. "He's hiding in the clouds! This giant storm is for him to hide in while he directs the other Reapers!"

"What's the matter?" Shepard shouted up to the clouds. "Too scared to face our fleet?"

"**AVOIDING A FIGHT THAT ONE KNOWS IS UNWINNABLE IS NOT COWARDICE. MY TIME WILL COME.**"

"No, it won't" Mai replied. "Because we're putting an end to you!"

Executor did not respond this time. The group looked around at each other.

"Should we call in the fleet?" Kizuna suggested.

"No" Garrus replied. "By the time they get here, he'll have relocated."

"But how else are we gonna stop him?" Mai wondered.

Suddenly, the others heard a resonating sound accompanied by swirling multicolored lights. They turned to see Sonic being 'orbited' by the seven Chaos Emeralds, his eyes closed in focus as they drew closer to him and spun faster. Finally, in a split-second flash of pure-white light, they disappeared, merging into him. Half a second later, he erupted in a fiery golden aura, his quills spiking out as his fur turned gold. His now-red eyes opened, and he grinned and gave a thumbs-up to the rest of the group before shooting up into the sky, punching through the dark-grey clouds.

(BOSS MUSIC: _Sonic Generations_ – Time Eater (Modern))

Zooming up and forward through the clouds, Sonic could soon see the faint, dark silhouette of the massive 2500-meter Leader-subtype Reaper, its dark-blue 'running lights' cutting through the darkness. As Sonic drew closer, that blue was joined by a red glow from the spot within Executor's 'tentacles', and soon its crimson beam fired. Sonic spun and twisted around the beam as he continued his approach, and as he got closer to the Reaper he accelerated even more, the golden aura around him brightening and gaining a faint bluish hue as he rocketed toward his chosen target. Homing in he slammed into Executor's 'face', striking one of the four blue lights that looked like eyes. The light went out as he hit, the energy of the strike spreading out on impact to wreck the emitter.

Executor let out a deep rumble and began flying backwards away from Sonic, as a pair of Oculus drones emerged and flew towards the transformed hero, firing their lasers. Sonic jerked and boosted and spun to dodge most of the shots, his barrier deflecting the rest, and then abruptly reversed course and crashed right into and through one of the Oculus drones, blasting it to bits. The golden warrior then fired a blast of 'Chaos' energy that blew right through the laser of the other drone and engulfed the construct, destroying it. He now rocketed towards Executor, rolling and shifting to dodge the Reaper's fire as he picked up speed. In the last split-second before contact, his aura brightened as his speed briefly went even higher, and he hit the 'eye' he'd destroyed, punching right through it and the machinery behind it.

Now inside Executor's body, Sonic looked around as he kept moving. The architecture seemed malevolent and claustrophobic, and as he flew on he quickly realized that the 'walls' were actively shifting and changing, trying to block him or jut out suddenly into his flight path. He had to make several twists and turns and shifts, all while flying at considerable speed, as he moved deeper into the Reaper's superstructure. Finally, he reached something interesting: a yellow-lit foundry/hangar carrying nearly two-dozen Oculus drones. Auto-turrets emerged and opened fire on him, forcing him to flit about through the chamber, and in his wild movements he caught sight of something big and glowing attached to a hanging part of the ceiling with wires connected to it – most likely, the power core for this area. Grinning, he changed course and charged power, his golden aura becoming bigger and brighter as he rocketed towards it…

Outside, Sonic burst free from the lower back of Executor, metal and fire trailing behind him from the new hole he'd just punched his way out through. A second later, the power core of the Oculus foundry/hangar exploded, gutting that space and the drone craft within it, flames and twisted metal being ejected through the now-larger hole. The Reaper 'howled' in fury, and the air around it shimmered as its energy shields came up. Again Sonic had to deftly maneuver to dodge fire from Executor's primary weapon, the power of the Chaos Emeralds protecting him from the beam's ambient heat whenever it came close to him. As soon as he could, he fired a sizable blast of 'Chaos' energy at the Reaper, only for the titan's shields to successfully block the blast.

Sonic was forced to get some distance as Executor fired its secondary weapons at him. Once they'd stopped, he turned right back around and charged again. Two Reaper Destroyers dropped in from the thick clouds above, preparing to intercept the golden warrior, but Sonic simply boosted his speed and punched clean through one Destroyer in a downward motion, then pulled up and did the same to the other. As the two little Reapers plummeted behind him, he charged right at Executor again.

…There are things one should know about Executor's shields. First is that in order to enter a planet's atmosphere, power had to be diverted from the shields to the mass-effect generators in order to prevent the Reaper taking damage from its own mass in a world's gravity. Second was that, even after all the damage Sonic had done, Executor was still underestimating him, and thus didn't have its shields as high as they could currently go. Thus, its shields were 'weak' enough that, as the duo flew through the giant storm cloud, a fairly powerful bolt of lightning that struck one of Executor's side-tentacles was able to completely drain the weakened shields in that area. Seeing this, Sonic took advantage of it, speeding up and punching through Executor's hull immediately below the side-tentacle's base before the Reaper could get its shields back in that spot.

Again inside the giant Reaper, Sonic went to work as he zoomed through the internal structure, blasting through what he could and weaving around what he couldn't. As he caused as much damage as he could, he caught a brief glimpse of something glowy and vulnerable-looking far below. With his current path, he wouldn't be able to reach it directly in time, but he was able to fire a blast of Chaos energy down at it. It just so happened that what he saw was a piece of vital machinery connected directly to Executor's 'core'. The surge of Chaos energy stunned Executor, the giant Reaper 'groaning' as power surges wracked its body and its 'mind' was temporarily knocked senseless.

Sonic made his own exit, soaring high upward at great speed. Looking behind himself as he ascended, he saw as Executor listed and pitched forward in the air, its shields offline. Realizing he'd hit something vital, he stopped at the apex of his climb, hovering as he drew power. But he was unsure; even with his Super form, could he actually punch through to hit it again directly?

Then, however, Sonic felt new, additional power pouring into him. He soon realized it was from one of the alicorns… or, perhaps, from one of the two 'Elders' who sat above them. Whatever the case, it surged through and around him, making his aura turn white. Focusing his power, he dove downward, accelerating to a speed significantly greater than even his standard Super-form velocity, sonic shockwaves tearing through the clouds around and behind him. In seconds he reached the stricken Reaper, and with a flash of light and fire he punched clean through from 'back' to 'front', tearing through Executor's Core in the process. The borrowed power left him, leaving him in his normal Super state, and he dove a bit more and then climbed as momentum carried him. Behind him, Executor's body seized and then exploded, a blast from the shattered core tearing the ancient being apart.

"And that's all she wrote!" Sonic cheered as he started heading back down towards the ground. "One less Command-type Reaper! Let's see how his flunkies do without their boss calling the shots!"

Around the planet and up in space, the remaining Reapers 'sensed' the death of their commander. Analyzing their current situation – Executor dead, two fleets' worth of large and powerful new ships under the alicorns' control, and knowledge that the DDF was finally mobilizing in full – they soon reached consensus on what to do. As one, they began falling back toward the warp rift, several of them switching off the role of providing cover fire to keep the DDF & alicorn ships back while the rest made their retreat. A comparative few were destroyed in their retreat, but unfortunately the majority of the surviving Reapers successfully passed through the warp rift 'alive' and intact, returning to ME-N7.

Then, anyone with the ability to sense such things 'felt' as a 'tiny' fraction of the power of the Mother and Father of the Alicorns touched the material realm. The warp rift was forced shut as if being pinched closed by giant fingers, and 'threads' of reality sewed it shut, closing the hole that the Reapers had torn open. Some Husk forces remained on Equestria, but without their masters they had nowhere to run and no way to replenish their numbers; they would be hunted down soon enough.

In the cockpit of the _Normandy II_, Joker kicked back in his seat. "Well," he said, "I guess that's that. The Reapers have been kicked out of the DDF places they tried to mess with. Now we just gotta take care of the ones in _our_ universe."

"Considering that only minute fractions of the Reapers' total numbers were committed to assaulting Dimensional Defense Force worlds," EDI replied, "I do not believe it will be anywhere near as easy, Jeff."

"Yeah. One step at a time, EDI."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

"So, now what?" Rainbow Dash asked.

The Normandy and Harmony teams were relaxing in a lounge in Canterlot Castle while the higher-ups hammered things out. Mai and Kizuna had left, hitching a ride aboard a UNSC destroyer to reunite with Gamma Team back in ME-N7.

"Well," Shepard said, "some of the DDF folks are going to stick around here, help with sorting things out, repairing vital stuff, and hunting down the remaining Husks. We're gonna head back to our Realm in a few hours, and some – though not all – of the new alicorns' dreadnoughts will be doing the same; those things should sure as hell come in handy…"

"So will the Eclipse Fleet" Kaidan added. "Though the fact that Luna needs to keep them all together to control them might limit their effectiveness, since they can't be split up unless she finds crews for them all."

"They'll think of something, I'm sure" Shepard said. "In the meantime, let's catch a couple hours of R&R while we can; we'll be heading back into the fire soon enough…"

The others nodded, looking up at the sky, where pegasi and aircraft zoomed by, and the _Normandy-II_, the _Solaria_, and the UNSC cruiser _Oscar Mike _hovered overhead. The battle was won, but the war was _far_ from over.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: the Monastery (and MAYBE the ex-Cerberus scientists, depending on how much space the monastery chapter takes up)

For reference, in the original Pony POV Series, the Alicorns were more… godly than in the Travels-verse; here, they can best be described as like the Kais from _Dragon Ball_, but more powerful and with a less comedic role. Fauna and Ouranos (the unnamed 'Father' from POV), however, are pretty much the same as the source, though (partially because, per word of Alex Warlorn, they are 'multiversal singularities').


	19. Demons of the Night Winds

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Realm ME-N7**

Upon arriving in the war's main Realm, the alicorns who'd followed Shepard over put their dreadnoughts to good use, but mostly in evacuating and organizing survivors – Cadence and the _Harmonia_ slipped through Reaper lines and evacuated a large number of Elcor from besieged Dekuuna; Emero (with the _Unattainable Knowledge_) and Fortis (the _Unstoppable Force_) helped the Turians in the battle for Palaven and also organized the evacuation of Turian colonies that were in the Reapers' sights; Mortis took the _Thanatos _and rescued & unified some Batarian survivors from ravaged Hegemony space; Currus (the _Conquistador_) joined up with the Sangheili in their operations, while Galaxia (the _Resurrect_) did the same with the TSAB; and Justitia (the _Rule of Law_) worked with Tevos and Aethyta to begin assisting or evacuating outlying Asari colonies while working on improving evac protocols for Thessia and its surrounding worlds.

But even with the Council races rallying, the DDF – including the shinobi and even Team Goku – mobilizing in force, the alicorns pitching in, and even Amon and Xehanort's factions getting involved, the Reapers were still on top in the big strategic picture. They may have been kicked out of the DDF Realms that they'd sent attacks against, but the numbers they committed to those attacks were paltry, drops in the bucket compared to the size and might of the entire Reaper 'fleet'. Even with the losses they took, they rolled on in an inexorable tide, thousands upon thousands of huge metal abominations and their billions of cyber-zombie ground troops. More than one DDF task-force, composed of bigger and technologically-superior ships, had been defeated and wiped out by the Reapers' sheer force of numbers, the titans swarming and ganging up on bigger, stronger ships and overwhelming them. The Reapers were taking losses in this cycle that were orders of magnitude higher than in any other cycle before, but they were still far more numerous than their enemy, and were slowly winning because of it.

The DDF and its allies still couldn't hope to match the Reapers in a straight-up bout. They needed the Crucible.

Aboard the _Normandy II_, Commander Jason Shepard was in the war room, going over reports and readouts on the current state of the war.

"Shepard? Do you have a moment?"

Shepard looked up as Liara entered the room. "What is it?" he asked.

"A contact within Asari High Command was insistent I pass on a distress signal to you."

"Something they can't handle?"

"From what I can tell, they sent several commando squads to investigate. None of them returned. They didn't ask me directly, but I think High Command is hoping you might help."

"What's your take on this?"

"They wouldn't ask for help if it wasn't important. The colony's coordinates are on the galaxy map. I'll try to figure out what's going on while we're on the way."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Still-Unnamed Asari Colony World**

Two Marauders stumbled as the ground beneath them abruptly lurched upward, throwing off their aim and allowing the young man they'd been trying to kill to counterattack with a barrage of lethal-set Crossfire Shot bolts, slaying the two Turian cyber-zombies. Tiida Uchiha-Lanstar breathed out as he looked around the room of the small courtyard he was in, the night's darkness pushed away by decorative lights here & there; numerous dead Husks, along with a few Cannibals and the two Marauders he'd just killed, littered the area. This was a small, out-of-the-way colony, barely a month old, but the Reapers had happened to notice it, and had sent a token ground force to clear it out. Most of the Asari had evacuated or gotten into safehouses, but he'd seen a few bodies of those who couldn't make it to safety in time.

As Tiida took a few steps, starting on his way to another part of the settlement, he suddenly heard a cacophony of noise break out – the snarls of a Brute, the firing of Marauders' assault rifles, and the sounds of electrical blasts and mana bolts being fired. It was coming from a larger under-construction building nearby. He hurried over to and inside the building, making his way up a set of stairs to a sort of second-floor atrium; on the far end, a large window was meant to give a fantastic view of the bordering fields for the first and second stories, with a 'gap' between the second floor's edge and the window, creating a 12-foot drop to the first floor below, with guardrails meant to go on the edge. However, because the building was still under construction, the railing had yet to be installed, as had the huge window, which was covered up by shutters, plunging the room into darkness broken only by a single currently-dim light hanging over the center of the room.

And in the center of this area, a black-cloaked figure about an inch shorter than Tiida was dual-wielding two Keyblades that glowed faintly with Lightning magic, fighting a Brute; two Marauders lay motionless on the floor around the two. It didn't take long at all for Tiida to recognize the figure. Ruin rolled under a swing of the Brute's massive claw, and she channeled and focused power into one of her Keyblades as she counterattacked, severing the bulky limb. The hybrid Husk roared and tried to shoulder-tackle her, but she dodged and blasted it in the face with a Fire spell, wounding and stunning it. Then, with a mighty magic-fueled swing, she brought one of her blades down, vertically bisecting the Brute's head. The dead beast toppled over, and Ruin let her hood fall back as she straightened up, her long slightly-messy black hair falling free.

"Impressive as usual, Ruin."

The girl turned around, startled by the sudden voice, and saw as Tiida calmly walked out of the shadows and into the main central part of the floor, stepping over a dead Marauder, and what Ruin saw as a little smirk on his face. Her expression changed into an angry, teeth-bared frown, her gold irises slightly glowing.

"You…" she snarled, gripping her Keyblades and taking a few steps back.

"Hi!" he said cheerfully.

"You've got some nerve coming up to me all smiles after what you did… What are you even doing here?"

"Clearing out Reaper forces to protect the colonists – same as you, I wager."

"Huh? What gave you that idea? I'm just here to kill Husks! I don't care about the people they're after!"

Unnoticed by either person, as Ruin stood near the edge of the second floor closest to the window, her back to the gap, a grayish, clawed hand reached up from beneath, silently grabbing hold of the edge from below…

"Really?" Tiida replied. "I'd heard something that sounded like you have a soft spot – something about your interactions with Eve T'Lesh…"

At this, Ruin actually blushed, looking a bit flustered. "W-Why bring her up all the sudden?-!"

"Well, from what I've heard, I think it sounds pretty cute – spending time with her, complimenting her, even pretty much cuddling her at one point…"

Ruin's face went even redder, and she then launched into an angry, somewhat vulgar tirade directed at Tiida, who just smiled and closed his eyes, only half-listening to her as her ranting about him accusing her of being 'soft' and of how he had no business talking about what she and Eve did when hanging out together became intertwined with childish insults. After several seconds, she was still going, and he cracked his eyes open to look at her… and his eyes went wide, the smile dropping off his face, as he saw a tall and spindly shadowy figure silently standing/floating directly behind her, the glowing cybernetics of Husk-parts being the only illumination as it hid in the dark, a shadowy arm tipped with long claws being raised to strike.

"-isn't your concern! Are you even listening to a word I'm sa-"

"_Behind you!-!_" he shouted.

Ruin, startled into silence by his sudden warning, heard a soft hiss directly behind her, and immediately threw herself forward, barely dodging the stabbing claws that had been aimed at where her neck had just been. As she rolled to her feet and jumped back to beside Tiida, her Keyblades and his pistol & kunai drawn, the attacker stepped out into the light. It was very tall, thin almost to the point of emaciation except for a bloated stomach. Its flesh was the familiar grey of a Husk, but with a bluish tint. Disturbingly normal-looking legs held it up, and its hands were tipped by very long, thin blade-like claws. Its head had a crown of backward-sweeping spikes, and a small blue object was set into the middle of its forehead. The new Husk opened its mouth full of sharp teeth unnaturally wide, and let out a loud, high, echoing, piercing scream/shriek as its body flared with Biotic power.

"What the hell is that?-!" Ruin exclaimed.

Looking at the monster's coloration and the sharpened crests on its head, Tiida paled a little. "I think it used to be an Asari" he replied.

The Asari-Husk formed two balls of surging, unstable Biotic energy in its hands and launched/threw them at Tiida and Ruin. Tiida cast a fairly powerful Shield spell, and was surprised as the Biotic blast came halfway to breaking through it before dissipating, while Ruin cleaved through the one coming at her with her Dark Keyblades. They returned fire, dark-electric and Crossfire-Shot bolts being conjured and fired, but the Asari-Husk turned out to have robust Biotic barriers protecting it, the shimmering fields deflecting the attacks. The monster began very slowly walking toward them… and then it flashed blue as it performed a short-range Biotic Charge that brought it to right in front of Ruin. The young woman cursed as she let herself fall backward, barely avoiding a stab aimed at her face.

A concentrated barrage of extra-strength Crossfire Shot bolts struck the Asari-Husk before it could make another move against Ruin, stunning it and taking down its barrier. The creature shrieked and then Biotic-Charged at Tiida, knocking him staggering back. It quickly lashed out, grabbing him with one hand and lifting him close, hissing as it pulled its other claws back, wreathing them in Biotic energy as its eyes glowed. Then, however, Tiida's eyes became red with a black octagon surrounding three concentric rings. The Asari-Husk screeched as a small burst of jet-black flames erupted on its face and neck, reflexively letting him go and staggering backward. There was a 'flash' of dark light, as Ruin slashed her Keyblade, charged with Darkness power, across and through the monster's back. The beast fell to the ground, its body shuddering as its own energies consumed it, even as the _Amaterasu_ flames did as well, and soon there was nothing left. Tiida disengaged his Eternal _Mangekyō_ as his unlikely ally stood beside him.

"What the hell was all that about?" Ruin breathed out.

The two were startled as they heard the familiar shriek again, faint and from somewhere outside. More followed, and it sounded like there were three separate individual Asari-Husks out there. They looked at each other, she readying her Keyblades while he activated his Sharingan. For the time being, old grudges would be set aside for the purpose of getting out alive and intact. Bracing themselves, they got moving.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Nimbus Cluster, Mesana System, Lesuss**

"**_Lesuss_**_ is an unpopular garden world, with characteristics just outside of the comfort zone of its Asari population. Its gravity is a little too high, its diseases a little too virulent, and the soil inhospitable for growing food. Further information is difficult to come by - the Asari government is uncharacteristically silent about Lesuss. Normally, a garden world settled so long ago would be highly populated, but little light pollution can be seen on Lesuss' night side._"

The UT-47A Kodiak descended, carrying the team of Shepard, Liara, Javik, Kaidan, and Shion/Gamma-2.

"Did you dig up any information on the mission, Liara?" Shepard asked.

"I did," the 'young' Asari replied, "and I now understand why High Command wanted to hide it. We're headed to an Ardat-Yakshi monastery."

"Ardat-Yakshi? Like Morinth?"

"Morinth chose to become a killer. These Ardat-Yakshi isolated themselves to avoid that. But that doesn't mean they're harmless; their urge to 'feed' can be powerful. That's why High Command sent in commandos to investigate the monastery's distress signal."

"So the Asari throw _us _at the problem now?" Shion asked. "What's our plan?"

"If there was a chance the Ardat-Yakshi could break loose, the commandos were to purge the monastery."

"By 'purge', you mean destroy, I'm assuming" Shepard said.

"They would've brought heavy explosives with them, yes."

"Morinth was dangerous, but are the Ardat-Yakshi as a whole this big of a threat?"

"Morinth was just hitting her stride. Ardat-Yakshi who become killers leave behind astronomical body counts. It's why they can never be free, and why they're such a great source of shame to the Asari. That's why High Command won't rest until this place is destroyed. They'd never risk a single Ardat-Yakshi getting loose."

"Don't assume anything. Maybe the Ardat-Yakshi were the ones who sent the distress call. If the Asari want us to destroy this place, I need to know what happened."

"Agreed. Once we give a report to High Command, they'll stop wasting lives here."

The Kodiak set down on a small platform outside one of the monastery's entrances, and the five got out. The door was open, revealing an elevator shaft with some catwalks and ladders leading down.

"Elevator disabled" Liara observed. "To prevent entry or escape, I wonder?"

As the team slid down the ladders for a few floors, turning on their flashlights as they plunged into the darkness, there was a faint, echoing screech from deeper in the facility.

"I don't think Asari can make that noise…" Kaidan remarked.

The team hopped a gap, entering a lobby of sorts. It was pitch-dark, the only illumination coming from the team's flashlights. Moving slowly and carefully, they jumped at a sudden noise.

"Apologies" Javik said, sounding a bit embarrassed. "I… tripped on debris."

Moving right, toward an open door, they found a few dead Cannibals, along with a dead Asari commando. Kaidan picked up a datapad from near the corpse, while Liara checked the body.

"This was the commandos' captain" Liara said. "It seems they gave their lives fighting the Reapers."

"This monastery's pretty out-of-the-way" Shepard remarked. "What do the Reapers want with Ardat-Yakshi?"

"Got a map, Commander" Kaidan said. "It shows the NavPoint location for a bomb – some room called the Great Hall.

"So the commandos started the purge after all…" Liara murmured.

"Ardat-Yakshi or not," Shepard said, "evacuating this place would've saved a lot of lives. If there are no survivors, let's get to the Great Hall and set off that bomb."

Moving on, they passed through a door leading into a hallway bordered on one side by a huge window overlooking a courtyard down below outside. They headed right, Shepard bypassing the door and allowing the team to slowly and cautiously advance into the next room – the second floor of another hallway, a guardrail separating them from a drop down to the lower floor. Suddenly, down below there was the sound of a Biotic discharge, as a Cannibal fell dead from a Warp.

"Very good" a tranquil female voice said. "I almost didn't hear you."

Down on the first floor, a graceful Asari in a tight red outfit emerged from the shadows, holstering her pistol as she looked up at her old friend.

"Samara…" Shepard said.

"It has been some time, Shepard" the Justicar greeted. "You are a most welcome sight. The corruption here runs deep."

"I assume you're here on your own, Justicar" Liara remarked. "Perhaps for something special?"

"You are correct. Two of my daughters live here, and I have come to aid them. Unfortunately, the Reapers had already infested this place by the time I arrived."

"You met me while hunting down your other Ardat-Yakshi daughter" Shepard said. "Are these two just as dangerous?"

"Falere and Rila have followed the monastery's rules ever since they arrived. They've shown no inclination toward violence."

"And you're here to save them…"

"…They are my responsibility, and it's one that cannot be abandoned even as our galaxy crumbles."

"Let's go together. Maybe your daughters can tell us why the Reapers hit this place."

"I suspect they will have much to tell us. It has been centuries since I last saw them."

Suddenly, the same screech from earlier was heard; this time, it sounded closer.

"We're out of time" Samara said, her body being enveloped in a glowing blue aura as she walked off toward a door directly below Team Shepard's position. "We will meet again. I will draw these creatures off."

As she vanished, Team Shepard moved left, picking up a dead commando's last wishes recorded on her datapad as they went. Moving through the door, they found themselves in an upper level of the large courtyard.

"I'm not so sure about doing the Asari's dirty work" Shion remarked as the group made their way down a ramp into the courtyard proper.

"We need them on our side" Shepard replied.

"Well, they owe us for this."

"This place is enormous" Kaidan said. "It must've been home to hundreds, maybe over 1,000 people."

"They must have thought their isolation protected them from the war" Javik remarked. "They learned that was a false hope the hard way."

As they moved down into the courtyard, starting down the elaborately decorated path to the big double-doors at the far end, the screech sounded out again, now closer than ever. This time, the sound's owner finally revealed itself, the tall and gangly abomination Biotic-Charging into the courtyard, its claws crackling with energy as a Biotic barrier surrounded it and actually allowed it to float a few inches off the ground. It let out a loud, soul-rending shriek as it eyed its prey.

"Oh, Goddess!" Liara said with horror. "That used to be a person – an Asari! What have the Reapers done?-!"

The monster began to slowly advance, its durable barrier being chipped away at by Javik's particle rifle and Kaidan & Liara's SMG fire. It Charged to the side, getting itself out of their line of fire for a moment, but then a Warp from Shepard took its barrier down the rest of the way. It hissed and threw an unstable Warp-blast at the Commander, forcing him into cover. Before it could flash away again, it was trapped by Shion's Void Prison attack, letting Kaidan and Javik use Reave and Dark Channel to tear away at it from inside and out. As the Void Prison wore off, the monster tried to form another energy blast, but a Warp from Liara knocked it back, stunning it. Finally, a sniper shot from Shepard tore through the Asari-Husk's skull, leaving it to topple over. Crackling blue energy spread out from within the monster's body, consuming and dissolving it.

"Codex entry," Kaidan called out, "hot off the presses, courtesy of the DDF this time! Sounds like a few of their people have had run-ins with these new Husks already."

**CODEX – BANSHEE: **"_Banshees are the corrupted Asari often found leading a Reaper strike force. The Reapers create them specifically from Asari with active or latent predispositions to becoming Ardat-Yakshi, a rare neurological condition that enhances the Asari's Biotic power while causing the immediate death of anyone she mates with. Lumbering as though in constant pain, the emaciated Banshees are surprisingly durable opponents. They are devastating Biotics able to hurl lethal balls of energy and create shockwaves as they regenerate. If they get in close, their claws can penetrate some forms of modern armor, and it is hinted that the Reapers have amplified and weaponized the Ardat-Yakshi 'neural burnout' ability, enabling Banshees to kill targets by that method if they can forcibly initiate a 'melding', gaining a temporary slight power increase from doing so. What is found most disturbing are the Banshee's ability to spawn her own warp field and seemingly teleport during combat, and the still-unconfirmed rumors that Banshees can directly convert other Asari – even ones with no latent Ardat-Yakshi characteristics – into more of their kind. Although their wails have no apparent physiological effect, the psychological impact is undeniable. When Banshees die, their Ardat-Yakshi genetics twist against them, causing a Biotic implosion to ensure they evade capture._"

"Footnote says Teana's big bro was the very first to have a run-in with these things, less than a day ago" Kaidan continued. "Or maybe just the first to _survive_ an encounter with them and report back about them."

"Great" Shion sighed. "_Another_ new super-Husk type."

'YEAH,' Khan said within her, 'BUT THESE THINGS MIGHT BE THE MOST DANGEROUS OF ALL – EVEN SOMEONE OF OUR LEVEL WILL NEED TO BE CAREFUL WITH THESE 'BANSHEES'. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF SOMEONE'S STRONG ENOUGH TO SHATTER A DAMN PLANET; IF A BANSHEE CAN GRAB THEM AND DECIDES & MANAGES TO INITIATE A 'MELD', IT'S ALL OVER.'

A few Cannibals came out of hiding further ahead, close to the doors. Shepard and Javik picked them off from a distance, clearing the way, and the team hurried to the locked doors, Shepard quickly bypassing them. Once inside, they saw as an Asari in a white dress ran by, being chased by a Cannibal. As she ran, she hit it with a Biotic Throw, but the attack was so weak that the Batarian Husk barely slowed down. The woman was soon cornered, but before Team Shepard could do anything Samara dropped in between the Cannibal and the new Asari, blasting the former with a Biotic Throw so strong the concussive force killed it near-instantly, sending it flying a good few meters.

"Mother?" the Asari said in surprise. "You came!"

"As soon as I was able" Samara replied. "Shepard, this is Falere, my youngest. She and her sister Rila are Ardat-Yakshi, but they both rejected the dark path that their sister chose to walk. They-"

"Mother, they have Rila!"

"What?"

"I saw some of those creatures take her into the Great Hall. I've been trying to get there."

"What are the Reapers doing here?" Shepard asked.

"Harvesting us – turning us into those… _abominations_… Please… you can't let that happen to Rila."

"Asari High Command thought the Ardat-Yakshi were to blame for the facility going silent."

"This is our home! Most of us are grateful to be here. The monastery is a place where we can achieve peace."

"Falere speaks truthfully, Shepard" Samara interjected. "I vouch for her words, with pride."

"Then we have to find Rila fast" Shepard replied. "The Great Hall has a bomb in it."

"…A bomb?" Falere asked, stunned. "Didn't you come to rescue people?"

"We did, but the commandos didn't; they left the bomb there. And now… This entire monastery is crawling with Reaper forces, Falere, including who-knows-how-many of those 'Banshees'. We can't leave this place standing."

"You're starting to sound like the commandos," Falere said in an accusatory tone, "and they didn't stop to help anyone."

"Falere…" Samara warned.

"…I'm sorry for this."

Falere then turned and leapt over the nearby guardrail, using her Biotics to slow her descent to the floor below.

"She's heading for the Great Hall to look for Rila" Samara said as she followed down.

"We'll meet you there" Shepard said.

"Please be swift."

They headed to the right, through a door into the second floor of a two-level indoor courtyard of sorts. Ahead, a squad of five Cannibals led by a Marauder had not yet seen Team Shepard's entrance, but a Reaper Biotic-barrier projector was nearby, ready to activate the moment trouble was detected. Shepard sniped the barrier projector, destroying it, and Kaidan immediately blasted the Marauder with an Overload, stripping its shields. Then, Shion Void-Jumped in amongst the surprised Husks, her shields up and her green energy blade out. She lunged forward, ramming her Void Blade through the Marauder's chest, and then spun it around and used it as a shield to stop two Cannibals' shots. Liara and Shepard used a Singularity-Warp combo to lift and destroy three of the Batarian Husks, while Shion dashed in and cut the other two down quickly.

The team made their way to the far end of the room and down the stairs there. As they reached the first floor, the scream of a Banshee rang out, and in a flash of blue the monster Biotic-Charged down from the second level. What's more, a squad of Cannibals emerged as well, forcing Team Shepard to divide their attention, the Cannibals' gunfire keeping their heads down as the Banshee slowly advanced. The Banshee threw a Biotic blast that forced Shepard into cover, keeping him from making a shot that would've killed two Cannibals. While Liara and Javik picked off a few Cannibals, Kaidan hit the Banshee with a Reave that weakened its barrier some, and two projectiles from Shion's arm-mounted weapon's 'plasma launcher' firing mode brought them down the rest of the way.

Shepard hit the now-unshielded Banshee with an Incinerate blast, but after a few seconds of its armor being burned away it let out a shriek and a pulse of energy that knocked the flames out. It ignored the gunfire hitting it and tossed another Biotic blast at Shepard, forcing him back into cover and allowing a Cannibal to flank him. Javik quickly shot the Batarian Husk down and hit the Banshee with a Dark Channel attack, weakening it further. Kaidan and Liara hit the Banshee with a Warp/Reave combo, the ensuing detonation actually tearing the monster's right arm off. It tried to charge up another attack, but then Shion Void-Jumped in right beside it and thrusted her blade into its upper torso just below where its arm had been. As she pulled it out, the Banshee fell, its body already being disintegrated by its own volatile energies. With the Banshee gone, the remaining Cannibals were quickly disposed of.

With the way clear, they hurried across to the next door, bypassing it and entering a rec room. Bloodstains and bullet holes marred the floor and walls, and an Asari commando's body was slumped against a crate.

"Another dead commando…" Javik remarked.

"It doesn't feel right seeing dead soldiers in a monastery…" Kaidan mused.

"The Asari should have rid themselves of the Ardat-Yakshi" the Prothean continued. "My people would never let such monsters walk among them."

"They didn't care for the competition?" Liara replied acidly.

Javik growled, but said nothing as the team moved on. Shepard sighed softly; the more she'd gotten to know Javik and learned about his people, the more Liara's former idealization of the Protheans was gradually inverted. Nowadays, whenever she mentioned the Protheans, it was either with cold detachment or even a hint of disgust, and her demeanor when around Javik had slowly but steadily worsened. Shepard was worried; if this got too much worse…

Moving on, they boarded the next elevator. Soon, it deposited them in a huge, open chamber with various decorative architecture, as well as a path leading down the middle of the room to a huge, decorated window – the Great Hall. At the base of the window was a device around six feet wide and three tall, and slumped against it was a wounded Asari. Falere knelt at her side, while Samara stood nearby.

"Rila?" Falere asked, desperate. "Rila, can you hear me?"

Slowly, Rila stirred, looking up at Falere with slightly unfocused eyes. After Falere helped her to her feet, she winced and held her head between her hands. When she looked up again, her eyes had turned completely black, and she lunged forward, her hands going around Falere's throat. After a few seconds of struggling, Falere managed to break free and shove Rila to the ground, where she lay still again.

"W-Why did she do that?" Falere whimpered.

"The Reapers' conversion of her has already begun" Samara replied sadly.

"I'm sorry…" Shepard said to them, before turning to Kaidan nearby. "Can we set off that bomb?"

"_If_ we had the detonator, yeah…" Kaidan replied.

"The Commandos would've had one. We've got to find it."

Suddenly, there was a now-familiar shriek. The team turned to see _two_ Banshees approaching from the other end of the Great Hall, accompanied by a pack of Husks. As Javik and Kaidan started shooting Husks, Shepard, Liara, and Samara hit one of the Banshees with a triple Warp, tearing away its barrier. Meanwhile, as the second Banshee 'Charged' forward, Shion carved her way through a few Husks with her Psi-Blade as she moved to meet it. She threw a plasma grenade that stuck to Banshee 2's midsection, the blast proving enough to completely drain the monster's barrier but do little else due to how strong the barrier had been. Shion leapt in, slashing with her energy blade, but the Banshee managed to project barriers from its hands that lessened the damage. Leaping back, Shion gathered her _ki_ and weaved a quick hand-seal sequence, focusing air and chakra in her lungs.

"_Katon: Gōkakyū_!"

The fireball raced out and slammed into Banshee 2, engulfing it. After several seconds, the monster staggered out, burnt and wounded. It let out a weak screech as it tried to charge another energy blast, but Shion flash-stepped in and decapitated it with a swing of her Void Blade. Meanwhile, Kaidan hit Banshee 1 with a Reave, weakening it further, and Shepard then Biotic-Charged into it, knocking it back a step, and plunged his Omniblade into its bloated-looking stomach. The monster shrieked as he cut a hole, and then shoved a live grenade inside. Samara used a Biotic Pull to yank Shepard to safety just as the explosion ripped the Banshee's torso open. It toppled forward, its body disintegrating. Back on the 'stage', Liara put down the last two Husks.

Rila stirred again, getting to her feet. When she opened her eyes this time, they were normal, but wide with fear and desperation as she looked at her sister.

"Falere, go!" she said. "Take the elevator and get out of here!"

"Rila, w-what are you doing?"

Rila took Falere's hands. "It's too late for me" she said. "There are nearly a hundred of those things coming. Just go!" She pulled something out of her back pocket: the detonator. "I'll make sure they don't escape…"

She looked to Samara, who gave a nod after a few seconds. Soon, the wails of approaching Banshees could be heard. Falere tried to run for Rila, but Shepard caught her and began dragging her away, back toward the elevator.

"Rila! No!"

"I love you, little sister…"

As the team hurried, Banshees began showing up in droves, slowly walking through the Great Hall, toward Rila and the bomb. Two of them got in the group's way, but Shion's body flared with green chakra, and two huge claws of it slammed them aside, clearing the path. As the Banshees approached their main prey, their screeches made Rila fall to her knees, one hand clutching her head, as her eyes flickered between normal and black. She threw a Biotic pulse at one, but the monster swatted it aside. As three of them closed in, Rila looked at the elevator, seeing Falere's face one last time before the doors closed.

One of the Banshees reached out, impaling its claws through Rila's body and lifting her up to face it. Gasping for breath, she looked it right in its pure-black eyes – looking 'through' them, at the monsters' vile masters themselves – as she held up the detonator.

"We… are _not_ your slaves…" she whispered, and pressed the button.

In the elevator racing down, there was a thunderous bang as the whole building shook for a few seconds. Falere pounded her fist against the closed doors and slumped to the floor.

Eventually, the elevator reached the bottom, letting everyone out to safety. Behind and above them, the monastery was in tatters, gutted by the bomb blast, partially collapsed in on itself. Falere walked slowly forward, looking out over the balcony.

"Rila…" she lamented. "There wasn't even time to say goodbye…"

"Few can break the Reapers' hold" Samara said as she walked up. "Rila's willpower was extraordinary… as was her love for you."

"We left her to _die_!"

Samara's expression saddened, as she dwelled on everything that had happened and came to a decision.

"Rila made her choice," she said as she stood face-to-face with her youngest daughter, "and it has reminded me of what is truly important – why I swore I'd lay down my life."

"What would that be?"

"Falere… the Code demands an Ardat-Yakshi cannot live outside a monastery that no longer exists."

"What are you doing?" Shepard interjected, having spotted Samara's hand resting on her holstered pistol.

"I am sorry, Shepard. By the Justicar's code…" she drew the pistol… "there is only one way to save Falere." …and put it to her own head.

"Mother, no!"

"My daughters… You were all so much stronger than I'd believed… I-"

Suddenly Shepard rushed in, grabbing Samara's arms and restraining them behind her back.

"_Let. Go._" She said in a low, dangerous tone.

"What the hell are you doing?-!" he shouted.

"Fulfilling the Code."

"By throwing your life away?"

"I won't kill my last daughter!"

"You won't have to" Falere interrupted, continuing as her mother relaxed and stopped struggling, and Shepard let go. "I'll stay here… home… no matter what's become of it."

"Without a proper monastery…"

"I could have left anytime. I don't need a building to honor my own code. And if the Reapers return, they won't take me alive. I promise."

"…Then… the Code permits you to stay, as you are."

Falere stepped forward and hugged Samara, who after a few seconds returned it.

"Once this war is over," Samara said, "and if I am able, I will visit, as a Justicar – and a mother – should."

"I'd understand if you wanted to help Falere rebuild a home here" Shepard said.

"It must wait, now that I can help oppose the Reapers. I'll speak with Falere, and then join your forces. If you'll have me, of course."

"I'd be honored."

"The honor is mine, my friend."

Shepard nodded, then keyed his comm. "Everything's taken care of down here. Bring in the shuttle."

"_Right, Commander_" Cortez replied. "_I'll just follow the smoke._"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

_**Normandy II**_**, Deck 2, QEC Room**

"_I read your report, Commander_" Councilor Tevos said. "_We had no idea the situation had deteriorated so quickly._"

"That's why I set off the bomb" Shepard replied. "There are no Ardat-Yakshi left."

"_May they find rest… What the Reapers did to them was monstrous. I had another team of commandos headed to the monastery that I can now formally transfer to Admiral Hackett's command. They'll serve you loyally, Commander. Farewell._"

"_Commander?_" Traynor's voice came over the speaker as Tevos' connection was terminated. "_I've got something interesting I've found, if you've got a minute…_"

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: Rescuing ex-Cerberus defectors from the Illusive Man's reprisal


	20. Resignations Not Accepted

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

_**Normandy II**_**, Deck Two, CIC**

"Commander," Traynor said, "I've found something you need to see."

"What have you got?" Shepard asked.

"A group of Cerberus scientists cut ties and fled. Perhaps they finally realized they were on the wrong side. We don't know what they were researching, but they were among the Illusive Man's top scientists. They could help build the Crucible."

"Maybe we could recruit them. Lots of Cerberus people think they're doing the right thing. I know I did."

"And you were right, Commander. Whatever crimes Cerberus is committing now… I was on Horizon when the Collectors attacked."

"Really?"

"You'll recall I mentioned growing up in the Terminus Systems. I was visiting my family at home. While the Alliance was running studies, you were saving me and my family."

"Has the Alliance tried to make contact with the scientists?"

"They've been unable to find them, but they've been searching… as has Cerberus. I've been monitoring Cerberus communications. I've charted signal frequencies from various Cerberus cells by location and cross-referenced known ship movements…"

"You found them?"

"I believe so, yes."

"Nice work. Put it on the map, and I'll give it a look."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Minos Wasteland, Arrae System, Gellix**

**SCAN: **"**_Gellix_**_ was given to the Krogans after the Rachni Wars, but bitterly contested in the Krogan Rebellions and re-conquered by the Turians. This left the Turians as caretakers to a levo-amino-acid-base world that they could not inhabit themselves but were unwilling to give up. In cooperation with the Vol Protectorate, the Turians attempted to rent the planet out for colonization. Between the high price and a surface littered with unexploded ordinance, however, Gellix found few reputable tenants. Its most notable inhabitants were penal colonies. To those who know of it today, Gellix is a symbol of tragic waste - an entire garden world nearly forgotten by the galaxy at large._"

**CODEX: **"**_Gellix_**_, the second planet in the Arrae system, is a marginally habitable world of mountains and ice. The planet was turned into a human penal colony in 2161, but its prisons shut in 2179 after racking up the worst safety records in the Systems Alliance. Lawsuits are still in the courts. Shortly after the closure of the prisons, a handful of intergalactic corporations moved in to set up mines, supply depots, and other facilities on the planet._"

"What's the word?" Shepard asked as the Kodiak carried him, Ashley, Zaeed, and Marie/Gamma-4 over and between the snowy mountains. "Do we know how long these scientists have been holed up here?"

"'Fraid not, Commander" Ashley replied. "Not a lot of intel on this place."

"Sir," Cortez called back, "I'm picking up chatter from a Cerberus squad engaging the supply depot."

"Engaging the scientists?"

"And if I'm reading it right, sounds like more troops are on the way."

"Okay. Set us down, then get out of here. I need those scientists alive."

As the Kodiak flew in, the forward viewscreen showed as heavily armed & armored Cerberus soldiers were exchanging gunfire with scared and cornered scientists wearing plain uniforms that couldn't even protect against a punch, much less a bullet; the amount of fire coming from the defenders was visibly diminishing by the second as they were coldly cut down. The shuttle touched down on a landing pad, and the quartet hopped out.

"Well," Marie said, "here's one reason why Cerberus left this place behind: it's _freezing_ here!"

A pair of Cerberus Troopers came rushing up onto the walkway leading to the landing pad, but before they could take cover to 'properly' engage Team Shepard, a Concussion Missile from Marie's Device and a precision shot from Ashley put them down. They hurried ahead, coming up behind the squad of Cerberus soldiers slowly whittling down the hapless civilians.

"What did these people do to bring _this_ down on their heads?" Shepard said.

Shepard and Zaeed used their sniper rifles to pick off the two Centurions, alerting the other Troopers to their presence. Marie fired a charged Wave-Blast that destroyed the Cerberus shield pylon, while Shepard threw out a Singularity that snatched up three Troopers, leaving them vulnerable to focused assault-rifle fire from Zaeed & Ashley. Marie moved up, firing Dark-Blasts that took out two more, and Shepard took out the remaining three with precise pistol headshots. With the way clear, the team hurried forward. Tragically, it seemed every one of the scientists was dead. However, Shepard heard a cough, and went behind a piece of cover to see a familiar man slumped against it, holding a hand to his midsection.

"Shepard?"

"Jacob? …How bad?"

"I'll live… I think."

"_This is Brynn_" a woman's voice said over a nearby dropped communicator. "_If you can hear me, come in. Is anyone alive out there?_"

Shepard walked over to the comm. and retrieved it. "This is Commander Shepard of the Alliance. The enemy is clear for now. Open the door."

"_Is Jacob there?_"

"It's okay, Brynn" Jacob called out.

After a few seconds, the huge heavy gates began to open. A woman with tan skin was waiting inside, as Shepard helped Jacob in, the others following.

"Jacob! Oh my God…"

"I'm all right. But the others didn't make it."

"What are _you_ doing here?" Shepard asked him.

"I'm _supposed_ to be protecting these people from the Illusive Man and his attack dogs."

"Are they gone?" Brynn asked, a moderate Australian accent to her tone.

"For now" Shepard replied. "But they'll be back." He turned as Jacob winced. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I'll walk it off. Save my life more than once, and I'll start owing you."

"This one's on the house."

"Shepard, this is Dr. Brynn Cole. She's in charge here."

"Tell me what's going on" Shepard asked her after a handshake. "Intel says you're Cerberus."

"We're all _ex_-Cerberus scientists, mostly" she replied.

"Civilians?"

"Call us 'refugees'. If we hadn't run, we'd be dead."

"Why does the Illusive Man wanna kill you?"

"Our stories are different, but the themes are the same. We were each using information from the Collector Base to work on the different components of a larger tech. After someone completed their component, they disappeared; no bodies, just… gone. As we progressed, we started feeling like we were signing each other's death warrants."

"The Illusive Man doesn't mess around. If he can't control something, he'll destroy it."

"The brain trust here has to be a significant loss for him" Jacob remarked.

"You had to know they were going to find you."

"It's a pretty smart bunch" Brynn said. "We covered our bases."

"But the Illusive Man is one tenacious bastard" Jacob growled.

The building suddenly shook briefly, an explosion hitting the heavy armor plating up top.

"Time to evacuate" Shepard said.

"Agreed" Jacob replied. "We just need to get the AA guns on the roof back online; Cerberus is jamming them somehow. With those guns down, Cerberus will just blow our escape shuttles out of the sky."

"It might be the network link" Brynn suggested.

"I'll check and meet you upstairs."

"Jacob," Shepard called as the man started walking/limping away, "you really should get that wound looked at."

"I'm good. I mean, I will."

"Commander," Dr. Cole said, "I should see to my people. Join my upstairs when you can."

"You know this Jacob guy?" Ashley asked as Brynn walked away. "More ex-Cerberus?"

"He worked with me to stop the Collectors" Shepard replied.

"He's a decent bloke" Zaeed said to Ashley. "You don't wanna know what his dad got up to, though."

The quartet headed left, up a short flight of stairs. And near the door, working at a console, they saw a familiar face… one that they were _very_ much _not_ happy to see; Marie actually growled, sounding more like a dog ready to bite someone's throat out.

"Commander Shepard – Dr. Gavin Archer. We… met on Project Overlord."

"That's _one_ way of putting it…" Shepard glared at the man, crossing his arms.

"Yes, well… After you took my brother to Grissom Academy, I tried putting all that behind me. I don't suppose you have any news from there? I've heard rumors the academy is in trouble."

"We were there" Marie said. "Cerberus tried abducting the students, and they got some of 'em, but David wasn't one; he's safe."

"Oh, thank God…" Dr. Archer visibly relaxed, relief flooding across his features. "You have no idea what that means to me."

"It's a little late to start worrying about his safety now" Shepard said crossly.

"I never _stopped_. I know you think I'm a monster. And you're absolutely right. Not a day goes by where my thoughts and dreams aren't… _haunted_ by what I did to David. All I can do now is hope that one day he forgives me."

"What are you doing here?"

"I strayed too far from the path. This was my only refuge. As a boy, I wanted to be a scientist remembered for doing right by the world – curing a disease, or discovering a new element. Not a monster who tortured his own brother…"

"What happened to Project Overlord?"

"After your intervention, the Illusive Man insisted I find another test subject, someone who shared my brother David's 'abilities'. I couldn't bear the thought of reliving that nightmare. So I destroyed all my research. Overlord is no more."

"What did you say to the Illusive Man?"

"I told him, if his intention was to work with the devil, he only had to look in the mirror. I wanted out of his nightmare."

"He just let you go?"

"If it had been that easy, I wouldn't be hiding here. Every Cerberus soldier in the galaxy has orders to shoot me on sight."

"I have to go, and I'm not even gonna _pretend_ it was good to see you again."

"I understand. But Commander… Thank you for saving David. Both times."

Moving on, they passed through the nearby doors and then up a few flights of stairs, reaching the command center; before them, Dr. Cole was speaking with another scientist.

"…And make sure those samples from Project Mia get out on the second shuttle" she told him.

"I've already dropped one box," he said, "my hands were shaking so hard."

"We're going to make it."

The man nodded and then walked off.

"What's the status of the guns?" Shepard asked Brynn.

"Still waiting; I have my best people on it."

"How many scientists are here?" Shepard asked as he and Dr. Cole walked along, the other three following.

"43, plus research assistants."

"How'd you keep under the radar with so many people?" Zaeed asked.

"When you fear for your life, there's a lot you can do."

"Brynn," another male scientist came up, "I can't possibly dismantle the genetic amplification components in time."

"I'm sorry, Dr. Braynar. It's important work, but right now you need to tend to your family."

"Wait," Shepard spoke up, "there are families here? Children?"

"That just upped the ante…" Ashley remarked.

"So these refugees brought everyone with them…"

"Yes" Brynn replied. "We have about 17 kids here, partners, spouses, parents… I promised these people refuge, a new life free from Cerberus. I just never imagined the Illusive Man would…"

"That's what evil counts on, that it's hard for good people to imagine. …Okay. Everyone left gets out of here alive. This escape will have to be carefully executed."

"I'd hoped… We tried so hard to make sure it wouldn't come to this."

Jacob walked/limped up, still holding a hand to his midsection.

"What's the news?" Shepard asked him.

"Can't tell" Jacob replied. "I only know I can't fix it from here. I'm going to the roof. Cerberus landed a shuttle up there a couple minutes ago. You in?"

"Jacob, you're injured. Ash, Zaeed, Marie, and I will fix the guns."

"No way. These are my people. I'm going."

"Just because you survived _one_ suicide mission doesn't mean you get _two_."

"…Fine. But I'm going to talk you through it from here. Cerberus is probably jamming the satellite link. Radio me when you've found the controls, and I'll give you the override code."

"Will do."

Shepard then escorted Jacob to the medbay, and the doctor there promptly got to work.

"So how've you been?" Shepard asked. "Y'know, besides the bullet wound, I mean."

"This is crazy. I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again."

"I know the feeling. So how'd you become a gun for hire?"

"Long story. It was an opportunity I couldn't resist for people I came to care about."

"You seem good. You look good."

"These are great people. Defending their ideals… I like that. I think I've found what I'm meant to do."

"So how exactly did you end up here?"

"After we got back… well, things look different when you come back alive from a 'suicide mission'. So, I quit Cerberus. I quit everything, and sat by the Mediterranean for a while. That's when I lost track of you."

"And what did all the fresh air and meditation teach you?"

"That what I choose to fight for had better mean something to me – that it comes from the heart."

"We could sure use you."

"It's real tempting, Shepard, but I like where I'm at. I'm important to these people. I want a life. I want a family."

"Sure. I get that."

"No, Shepard. The _Normandy_'s your real love."

"Doesn't mean I don't wanna say 'to hell with it' sometimes. …Anything on Cerberus I should know about?"

"The Illusive Man became obsessed with indoctrination. I know that. You ever wonder how it all went wrong? I mean… was I blind? I remember him being an idealist. How come I couldn't see the evil?"

"Don't beat yourself up. And if you ever get that crystal ball working, give me a heads-up, 'cause I'd love to know how this all plays out. So, how long have you known Brynn?"

"We met through a mutual friend in the Mumbai cell; guess I've known her a year. We had a lot in common… Then she came to me about her missing colleagues – asked for my protection, my help finding a place to run to. How could I say no?"

"Who is she to you?"

"We're… together."

"And you run this enclave with her. You settling down, Jacob?"

"Yeah… maybe. It's just… If these are our final days, I wanna spend them protecting these people – building a life… whatever's left of it."

"Hmm. I should focus on getting these people out of here."

"You bet. Let's get to it."

Team Shepard headed out through the back door, making their way up a ladder to the roof.

"Kids, old folks, and eggheads…" Zaeed grumbled as he climbed. "Woulda been a goddamn massacre if we hadn't shown up."

Reaching the roof, they quietly crept to the opening that led outside. Right up ahead, an Engineer and a Centurion were gathered around a shield pylon. Shepard hit the pylon with an Overload, and the released energy arced into the two nearby Cerberus soldiers, heavily depleting their shields; sniper shots from Ashley and Zaeed put them down. As the team mantled over an air conditioning duct and moved out into the sunlight, a few Troopers emerged to bar their path, but Marie used Power-Bolt shots to gun them down.

Up ahead, in an alcove, an Engineer was working on a machine of some sort at the base of a satellite dish. A barrage of Disruptor-Ammo assault rifle rounds from Zaeed cut him down before he could get into cover, but then a Centurion and two Troopers dropped in from above with their jet-boots. Shepard's SMG and Marie's Power-Blast shots took down the shielded leader, while Ashley and Zaeed gunned down the standard troops. With the way clear, Shepard got to work on what Cerberus had been messing with, fixing the problem easily.

"Jacob? Dish should be back online now."

"_Affirmative, but the guns are still down. You'll need to manually activate them. Head back to the front of the facility._"

The team was currently on the roof at the 'back' of the facility. Looking back towards the 'front, they saw two elevated portions, connected by a 'bridge', with anti-aircraft guns visible atop. They started making their way, but as they climbed up onto a higher portion of the roof, Cerberus forces started coming out of the woodwork. Shepard's first act was to destroy another shield pylon, ridding a pack of Troopers of their protection and leaving them vulnerable to a pair of frag grenades from Zaeed that took out all but two of them, who in turn were finished off by Shepard's pistol.

Moving forward, four more Troopers were joined by an additional four by a Cerberus Kodiak that dropped in and unloaded them. Shepard tossed out a Singularity that 'grabbed' three and then a Warp to destabilize and rip them apart, while Marie fired three Seeker Concussion Missiles that took out three more, the last two falling to Ashley's fire. As the team climbed up over another divider on the roof, a manned heavy turret on the corner edge of the right-hand AA structure started firing, forcing them into cover. Zaeed tried to lean out and snipe the bastard, but the shot bounced off the heavy plating-shield on the front of the gun, and the return fire forced the old merc back into cover. Marie then sent out a barrage of Crossfire Shot bolts, the purplish mana blasts flying out in very wide arcs, shooting past the turret and then curving back around and slamming into the gunner from behind; their being set to 'physical' damage meant the one that hit him in the back of the skull put him down for good.

Hurrying forward onto the forward-most portion of the roof, they climbed the sole available ladder on the left-hand AA-gun structure. Moving to the guns' power system, Shepard was able to quickly get it up & running again. However, the guns wouldn't fire until _both_ systems were online. With that in mind, they hurried across the bridge to the other guns, but here the junction had some damage.

"Well, now what?" Ashley said.

"…Ah, I recognize this model" Zaeed chimed in. "Don't look too bad here… Gimme a couple, an' I'll have 'em up & running again."

"I didn't know you knew how to repair this kinda stuff, Zaeed" Shepard remarked.

"I don't, for most. But about seven years ago I was on a job defendin' against a siege, and we had this model of an AA gun system. Junction got slagged, I got to escort a techie while he fixed it. Halfway through, he took a bullet in the hand, so he had to talk me through the rest of it. This doesn't look as bad as that one did. Might wanna keep the Cerbies off me while I'm working, though; I'm not keen on losin' _my_ hand today."

"Dibs on the turret!" Marie called out quickly, returning her Device to its inactive gauntlet form so she could grab the big gun's controls with both hands.

It was less than 10 seconds before the first Cerberus Kodiak flew in, dropping a handful of troops off on the adjacent rooftop. Marie grinned as she spun up the heavy turret and fired, heavy-caliber bullets tearing the hapless soldiers apart in seconds. Another Kodiak dropped more hostiles off down below, and Shepard & Ashley put their sniper rifles to good use, taking them out one by one the moment their feet touched the ground. This continued over the next few minutes, sniper fire and heavy turret rounds tearing apart any Cerberus troops that were dropped in; even Phantoms didn't get a chance to cloak or get in close before being cut down. Finally, Zaeed was finished with his task.

"_There_ we go!" the old merc said. "One complete set of AA guns, ready to give Cerberus a bad day."

"Alright," Shepard said, "now let's get these people out of here."

**-**_**Break**_**-**

"Okay," Shepard said as he and his team entered the base control room, "the guns are already picking Cerberus aircraft out of the sky. Where are we at?"

"On track" Jacob replied. "The first shuttle is already loaded with everyone under 16."

"Commander, when should we leave?" Brynn asked. "What's our best chance for survival?"

"Jacob, what do you think?" Shepard asked. "Are we ready?"

"Almost; we _could_ go now, but there's no do-overs."

"Agreed. We get one shot. …Alright. Let's do this."

He walked over to the command console and hit the big blue button. A VI sounded out the evacuation's commencement, and down below the heavy main doors slid open. The AA guns sprang to life, shooting down Mantis gunships and shuttles, clearing a path. The first evac shuttle then made a break for it, and the people cheered as the craft full of children & teens successfully broke for orbit and the safety of the waiting _Normandy_.

"All right!" Shepard called out to the scientists. "Everyone here head to the shuttle bay and-"

Suddenly, there was a muffled explosion as the base shook.

"Suicide fighter took out one of the guns!" a scientist manning a console said. "Cerberus troops are-"

Everyone startled and dove for cover as one of the windows shattered.

"Get these people out of here!" Shepard ordered Jacob, as he and his team made ready.

As Jacob and the scientists ran, three Cerberus Troopers dropped in through the broken window. Shepard hit them with a Singularity before they could spread out, leaving them easy pickings for a few Concussion Missiles from Marie.

"_Attention:_" the base VI announced, "_shuttle bay doors have been breached._"

"_Shepard, shuttles are loaded_" Jacob radioed. "_We need you at the landing area to make sure they get away!_"

Team Shepard hurried down the stairs until they reached the shuttle bay; the doors were shut again, and Shuttle #2 was waiting for take-off. Unfortunately, a handful of Cerberus Troopers were in the way. Zaeed fired a Concussive Shot at one who'd been about to shoot at the shuttle's engines, knocking him over a nearby railing. Marie fired charged Power-Blast shots to take out two more, and Shepard's SMG & Ashley's assault rifle handled the rest.

The main doors opened, and Shuttle 2 zoomed away to safety. A multitude of Cerberus troops were waiting outside for Team Shepard, with barricades and shield pylons set up; Shepard and Marie prioritized, using Overloads and Wave-Blast shots to destroy the pylons, while Zaeed and Ashley started gunning down the enemy soldiers. The team moved forward a little, using metal crates and barricades as cover as they held back the storm. Over the next several minutes, they stood firm against waves of Cerberus hostiles, while shuttles full of refugees took off one by one. Toward the end, Phantoms started showing up, and in response Marie started using stuff besides her Device's basic attacks, firing Super-Missiles or even ki/chakra-based attacks.

"There she goes!" Zaeed shouted as the last refugee shuttle finally passed by and climbed up into the sky.

"_Shepard, heads up!_" Jacob radioed. "_Civvies are away, but the place is overrun! We gotta go! Headed to you with the shuttle._"

Just then, an Atlas dropped in on the landing pad straight ahead. Marie injected a mana cartridge into her Device and then let loose with Charon's Wave-Blast mode's boosted attack, a continuous stream of purple electrical energy. The Atlas' shields were brought down in seconds, though the attack ended and cut off before it could destroy the mech itself. Now damaged, the Atlas fired its cannon to keep Marie's head down, while gunfire from the three others' automatic weapons chipped away at its heavy armor. Once she got an opportunity, Marie fired a charged Light-Blast shot at the cockpit canopy, cracking it open. A sniper's round then tore through the hole and the pilot's skull, courtesy of Ashley, and the Atlas toppled over backward.

One last friendly shuttle emerged from the hangar, being pursued by a very large number of Cerberus soldiers. As it set down on the landing pad, Team Shepard fell back toward it, while dodging and exchanging fire with the hostile troopers. Another Atlas dropped in, and as Shepard made a run for the shuttle the mech fired its cannon, the blast going off right behind him and blowing him off his feet. Jacob leapt out of the shuttle and fired several carefully-aimed Avenger shots at an explosive generator that was right near where the Atlas was walking, knocking the heavy mech off-balance so much it almost fell over. Using this opportunity, Jacob and Zaeed then helped Shepard to his feet and pulled him into the shuttle. The doors slid shut, and the old-modal Kodiak shot off into the sky, small-arms fire pinging off its armored hide.

"Out by the skin of our teeth again, eh Shepard?" Jacob remarked.

"Nice to see you back in action" Shepard replied.

"I was afraid we wouldn't get anyone out alive," Dr. Cole spoke up, "but because of you we got almost everyone. Thank you."

"Dr. Cole, I have a request – one that you can't afford to turn down. The coalition needs technical help against the Reapers; in particular, we're building a giant superweapon, and we need every tech-specialist we can get to help."

"Without a doubt; I'm at your service. And I'm sure you can count on the others as well."

"You too, Jacob. I need you."

"Of course" the man said. "But I wouldn't mind staying with these folks."

"Keep them safe, then. The Alliance needs the Crucible."

"You got it."

"All right. Report to Admiral Hackett for assignment."

"You know, Commander," Brynn said, "I've never met anyone like you. I just feel better knowing you're on our side."

"Shepard," Jacob added, "when this is over, drinks are on me. Be safe out there."

**-**_**Break**_**-**

_**Normandy II**_**, Deck Two, QEC Room**

"Admiral, I'm sending you a large team of scientists."

"_I have the dossier_" Hackett replied.

"They're all Cerberus defectors. Keep them and their families safe."

"_Will do, and I'll put them straight to work on the Crucible._"

"Jacob Taylor is with them, and is already working to find a place for the families."

"_He'll be a valuable asset as well. Snagging Dr. Cole from the Illusive Man is a coup. Having her on our side could be a huge win for us._"

"The sooner we get the Crucible finished, the better I'll feel."

"_I'm with you on that. But in the meantime, I need you to investigate something. Ever since the war began, the Quarians and Geth have been making hit-and-run strikes on the Reapers and Cerberus, while they prepare the bulk of their militaries for war. But recently, something's gone amiss; they've stopped their attacks, and we can't get a hold of them. I want you to go and find out what's happening. The DDF will be sending a fleet to assist, just in case – mostly TSAB, but one of the Alicorn dreadnoughts as well. Hopefully, you won't need that much firepower, but just in case you do…_"

"We'll head there right away, Admiral."

"_Good. Hackett out._"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Silean Nebula, Kypladon System, Cyone**

**Scan: **"_This garden world's claim to military fame is that it was assaulted repeatedly during the Krogan Rebellions, but never occupied by more than token forces. The Asari cut off the Krogan supply line at the Citadel relay and drove the invaders out. Today, antimatter generators on the surface and in orbital stations provide fuel for military starships throughout Asari space. The matriarchs defending the planet today have vowed to maintain _**_Cyone_**_'s legacy - they pledge it will fall to no enemy, organic or synthetic._"

**Codex: **"**_Cyone_**_, a fortified world under the protection of several Asari matriarchs, has begun to supply fuel to Systems Alliance forces in the hope that an Asari-human partnership might prevent the Reapers from seizing the planet. Alliance forces have since established several outposts in the system. The humans and Asari have been joined by a small detachment of Turians, drawn from the private militia of a corporate conglomerate that does business with Cyone. The three species are so determined to defend Cyone that integration issues have been negligible. The task force has already thrown back several Reaper attacks, although the commanders express concern that small Reaper forces could have slipped through despite their vigilance._"

A DD77H-TCI 'Pelican' dropship descended through Cyone's skies. At the controls was a woman in white light armor, while in the passenger bay waited six armored soldiers, three male and three female, in armors of black, light-blue, brown, purple, dark-blue, and tan. The mission's commander came up to the cockpit – Michelle 'Mick' Church, better known as 'Agent Carolina'. The face of the UNSC's kingpin appeared on a holo-screen.

"_Agent,_" FADM Hood said, "_around 72 hours ago, the reactors at a joint Turian/Asari fuel depot went offline. Scans of the station are cold; it's deserted._"

"What happened to the troops stationed there?" Carolina asked.

"_We don't know. But no fuel means no fleet presence by the Asari, Turians, or Alliance in this theater. The enemy will be able to operate nearly unchecked. We need you & your team to get in there, find out what's going on, and get those reactors back online. The Systems Alliance's Marine Captain Riley is on-sight, doing preliminary recon; she leads one of the Alliance's top engineering teams._"

"We'll figure this out, sir."

"_Glad to hear it. Hood out._"

As the transmission cut, she moved back into the troop bay, where Agents Texas, Connecticut, North Dakota, Florida, and New York were making ready; Washington was currently working with 'Team Gulch' on a different assignment.

"Alright," she told them, "we have to get the reactors down there back online, and figure out why they went offline in the first place. There's an engineering team waiting for us. Make sure your suits' seals are working tight; expect radiation."

-_Break_-

The six ex-Freelancers (they and Wash had actually been slated to be inducted into the Spartan-4 program, before the Reaper War began and forced that to be put on hold) were met by a Turian as they exited the elevator.

"Captain Riley is on point waiting for you" he told them.

Maneuvering through the empty reactor facility, they were struck by how quiet it was, the lack of sounds from any machinery. A lower level was up ahead, but scans showed it to be so irradiated that even their suits wouldn't protect them. Nearby, close to a control terminal, a woman in full-body red armor was overseeing another soldier's working on the terminal.

"Captain Riley?" Florida asked.

"Lancer Squad, huh?" she replied. "I'm looking forward to seeing if you live up to your reputation.

"D, anything on this facility?" York asked.

"It is a dual-reactor system," Delta replied as he appeared, "so two teams will be necessary. Both reactors' fuel rods must be unlocked before reactivation of the reactors can be performed."

"Got it!" the man at the console said, as a large metal crate blocking the way was finally moved aside by a crane.

"Ready your team to hit Reactor Two, Captain" Carolina told Riley.

They found another crane control terminal, and North used it to move a few more heavy crates around, clearing a path and enabling Riley's team to proceed.

"Somethin' bad went down here…" C.T. said quietly, looking around at the silent and empty facility.

Lancer Squad moved on along the upper level, soon coming across the ventilation control terminal. Tex activated it, and the highly advanced ventilation system soon had the lower level flushed clean of radioactive toxins, allowing both teams to proceed. They hopped down to the lower level, and Florida hit the terminal to unlock the rods.

"_Fuel rods unlocked here_" Riley reported. "_Wait a minute… We've got movement inbound._"

"Same here" Tex replied, drawing her shotgun. "Here comes the fun, people; get ready!"

From behind them, Husks began to emerge and rush forward. Carolina's plasma rifles and Connecticut's assault rifle started chewing into them, with Tex's and York's shotguns pitching in once they were closer. Meanwhile, North and Florida used their DMRs to pick off a Marauder further back, overwhelming its shields and blowing its synthetic brains out. A few more Husks threw themselves futilely at Lancer Squad before the flow stopped.

"Riley, status?" Carolina asked.

"_One casualty, but we're clear here._"

"WARNING: COOLANT LEAKS DETECTED," the base's VI reported, "REACTORS ONE AND TWO. SYSTEM RESTART IMPOSSIBLE."

"_I can see it on scanners, guys_" Four-Seven-Niner radioed. "_You'll both have to seal all the moderator tanks._"

"_We see the Reactor Two tanks_" Riley said. "_Moving to seal._"

The squad followed a nav-point to Reactor One's tanks, and York did his thing, quickly sealing one tank and then heading down a ramp to the other. Finally, they approached the main control terminal, and Delta got to work, initiating the restart.

"Guys," Theta popped up, "there's a _lot_ of movement heading our way, and Captain Riley's way!'

"Here it comes again…" North muttered.

Everyone got ready as another Husk rush ensued, with bullets, shotgun shells, and plasma bolts cutting the cyber-zombies down. CT took fire from above, battering her shields, but North quickly sniped the Marauder hiding in the rafters above, the headless body falling to the floor far below. Another Marauder attacked from the left, and York used his new Omnitool to overload the Turian Husk's shields, leaving it exposed for Florida to shoot down, while Tex threw a frag grenade to take out four Husks. Three more Marauders made up the last push; one fell to concentrated fire from Carolina, the plasma bolts stripping its shields and burning through its 'flesh'; the second fell for CT's hologram and left itself open to a shotgun blast from Texas; and the third was Overloaded and shotgunned by York.

"_Lancer Squad, we are being overrun! Position indefensible; we're not gonna make it!_"

"I'll go to them!" Tex said. "Meet you guys by the exit!"

As Texas ran off to help Capt. Riley, the doors to the inner reactor opened up, and a Brute came lumbering out. The super-Husk roared and then charged at the five ex-Freelancers, sending them scattering to avoid being smashed. Shotgun blasts from York and high-powered rifle shots from North and Florida bit into its thick hide, but it swung its mighty claw, forcing York to roll away.

"Really regretting not bringing a grav-hammer for this op…" Carolina remarked.

The beast rushed at North, only for several interlocking hexagonal barriers to spring up in its path, blocking its charge and claw-swing from hitting York. CT moved in next, sending out a hologram to briefly distract and disorient the monster, and taking advantage of the moment to drop a grenade at its feet. The Brute roared and stumbled as the concussive force and high-velocity shrapnel tore into its underside. Carolina blasted it in the face with sustained plasma-rifle fire, taking out one of its eyes, and then DMR fire from North and Florida took out its kneecaps. Finally, a point-blank shotgun round from York blew its damaged head apart.

"_You're clear for now, guys,_" Four-Seven-Niner radioed, "_but I can't raise Riley or Tex. But… I'm tracking some movement toward the pickup point; finish the restart and get there._"

York moved over to the console, and he & Delta quickly got the reactor up and running, the sound of thrumming power filling the area. With the objective complete, they made their way back to the exit; there, Tex was waiting with Riley and one of her squad.

"Alright," Carolina said, "mission accomplished. Let's head back for now."

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: Rannoch. And remember, in the final, 'Bonus' chapter of Book 26, the Quarians and Geth made peace. How might this, and the presence of DDF forces, change things?


	21. No Party Like A Boarding Party

Extra wait time caused partly by having to work on an essay for class (I don't really… 'get' Shakespeare very easily, so having to write a 1200-word essay on a Shakespearean subject was not easy for me _at all_), and partly by playing _Super Smash Bros Brawl_ because I haven't played it in a while and want to finish unlocking everything (currently stuck trying to trophy-fy Meta-Ridley; have been trying over and over for _days_). In fact, those 'distractions' took up so much time, that I decided to divide what was originally planned to be a single Rannoch-arc chapter into two, just so you guys wouldn't have to wait even longer. As a consequence, however, the next chapter will be pretty short.

Actually, I want you all to tell me which you would prefer: shorter, 'thinner' chapters but less waiting time, or longer and 'fuller' chapters but with more time between them?

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Far Rim sector, Dholen system**

_**Normandy II**_**, Deck Two, War Room**

Jason Shepard looked up from the central holo-table as four Quarians entered the war room.

"Commander Shepard" Admiral Shala'Raan greeted. "A pleasure to see you again, though I wish it were under better circumstances."

"I'd hoped for your and the Geth's support in the fight against the Reapers" he replied. "What's going on?"

"10 days ago," Admiral Han'Gerrel spoke up, "the Reapers managed to forcibly gain control of around 5% of the Geth. We fought them off at first, but then something changed; in less than an hour, the Reapers managed to assert control of vastly more of the Geth…"

"And now," Admiral Zaal'Koris added in, "the Reapers have control of nearly 85% of the Geth. They're tearing us apart, Shepard."

"We should have foreseen this" Admiral Daro'Xen said. "Any machines can be co-opted by the enemy and turned against their former masters…"

"The fact you continue to treat the Geth as _things_ instead of people is why you continue to fall short of any attempts to 'interact' with them" Koris chastised her. "It's why the few clandestine experiments you've attempted that some of the Geth have informed me about have all failed." He turned back to the Commander. "Again we find ourselves at war with the Geth. And this time, I fear there may be no escape."

"At the very least," Shala chimed in, "around 15% of the Geth have successfully avoided all Reaper attempts to gain control of them, and are fighting at our side even now. In addition, they managed to introduce a minor, simple virus that forces the Reaper-controlled Geth to display red photoreceptors and 'running lights' instead of the usual blue; that at least enables us to tell friend from foe amongst the Geth."

"Is Legion still with us?" Shepard asked.

Shala lowered her head. "We lost contact with it shortly before the Reapers' control spread. We have not seen its distinctive platform fielded against us, but we have heard nothing from it."

"We had driven the Reaper-controlled Geth back to the home system," Koris said as he called up a hologram of Rannoch and the surrounding space, "when this signal began broadcasting to all hostile Geth ships."

"The Reapers…"

"Under direct Reaper control," Gerrel said, "the Geth are significantly more effective. Our fleet is pinned in the home system. If we're going to win…"

"Where's the signal coming from?"

"Here: a Geth Dreadnought. It's around 1400 meters long, can outgun anything we've got, and has powerful shields and armor in addition to smaller capital ships guarding it."

"The _Normandy II_'s stealth drive can get us in undetected. I could board and then disable the Reaper command signal."

"Yes," Xen replied, "cutting off the signal should throw the Reaper-Geth into complete disarray."

"And while they're confused, you get your ships out of the furball they've been pulled into, out to the system's edge with the DDF fleet."

"Are you certain you can disable the signal?" Koris asked.

"We'll get you out of there safely, Admiral."

"Our newest Admiral has also volunteered to offer technical expertise…" Raan said, turning to the door as a familiar Quarian in a purple-hued enviro-suit entered.

"Shepard" she nodded.

"Tali…" he spoke softly. "Admirals, I'll ready a team to hit that dreadnought."

"Thank you, Commander" Raan replied.

As the four older Admirals stayed to go over combat data in the War Room, Shepard and Tali made their way out into the adjacent hallway.

"So…" he started. "Admiral…?"

"It's mostly a formality" Tali replied. "I'm an expert on the Geth."

"That you are…"

"Heh. I'm glad you're here."

"Why didn't you tell us this was going on sooner? We could've helped."

"Thanks, but… I knew you had your own big problems. …I'm sorry about Earth. …We've got the largest fleet in the galaxy. If you can help us, we'll hit the Reapers with everything we've got… or however much is left from this." She walked up closer to him. "I've missed you…" she near-whispered, leaning against him a little.

"Same here" he replied softly. "I've been worried about you and your people from day one of this war."

"I know… All the same, Jason, perhaps we should keep 'us' quiet for now, at least in front of the other Admirals?"

"Sure thing… Miss vas-Normandy. Maybe you could come up to my cabin later?"

"Maybe I could…" she said coyly, walking away. "Oh, and for the record… Still _totally_ worth it."

"_Commander?_" Traynor said over the intercom. "_The Dimensional Defense Force fleet has been informed of things, and a couple of their people want to come over to assist in storming the dreadnought._"

"On my way" Shepard replied, as he looked out the window at the mixed fleet of TSAB vessels, a few Cybertronian warships, the _Starshot_, and the massive _Solaria_. Heading out to the front of the ship, he waited by the airlock doors just behind the _Normandy-II_'s cockpit. After about 10 minutes, there was a metallic 'thud' as a transport docked with the stealth-attack frigate, and soon the airlock doors opened to allow two young girls in, whom Shepard quickly recognized.

"Erika? And Homura too?"

"Yes, Commander" the stoic _Puella Magi_ replied, as beside her the little Keyblade-Wielder shifted nervously. "While the others of our respective groups and of the other 'heavy hitters' aboard these ships assist in space or go groundside to aid Quarian and Geth forces against the Reaper-Geth…"

"…H-Homura and I want to c-come along with you guys" Erika finished.

"Any particular reason?" Shepard asked.

Erika's expression became one of conviction, and a little smile. "Because Tali is my friend."

"And Legion is mine" Homura added, a noticeable softness to her tone.

Shepard smiled and nodded. "Good enough for me. Get ready, girls; we'll be there soon."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Perseus Veil sector, FTL en-route to Tikkun system**

"We're approaching the Tikkun system" Joker reported.

"What've you got from the comm. buoys?" Shepard asked.

"Pretty much a big ol' shitstorm, Commander."

"I have detected several hundred unique ship signatures engaged in active combat" EDI clarified.

"Take us in, Joker" Shepard said.

Joker cracked his knuckles and keyed in a few commands. "Stealth drive engaged. The only way they'll detect us is if you all start singing the Russian national anthem."

A minute later, the _Normandy II_ dropped out of FTL right into an enormous and chaotic space battle. Quarian and blue-lighted Geth ships traded fire with Geth vessels possessing malevolent red lights, including the massive (well, by Citadel-race standards) hostile Geth dreadnought hanging back toward the 'rear', pounding Quarian and non-Reaper Geth ships from range with its multitude of guns.

"My cyberwarfare suite has accessed their docking protocols" EDI reported.

As the stealth-attack frigate approached the hostile 'dreadnought', a Quarian cruiser took an unshielded hit mid-starboard from a Geth frigate's cannon, blowing a sizable hull breach; the ship's compartmentalized nature meant that the breached zone was quickly automatically sealed off, minimizing loss of oxygen, material, and crew as it returned fire on its attacker. The _N-2_ quickly pulled up alongside the hostile flagship, linking with a docking tube.

"All right," Shepard said as he, Tali, Kaidan, Erika, and Homura entered the airlock, Tali & Erika's enviro-suit and Keyblade Armor in vacuum-sealed mode while the other three wore sealed armored hardsuits, "once we're aboard, we find whatever's broadcasting the Reaper signal and shut it down. Tali's our expert on Geth software; she'll be handling hacking and security."

"Good to see you again, Tali" Kaidan said.

"You too, Kaidan" the Quarian replied. "How's the Omnitool? Still using the Logic-Arrest model?"

"It's still the best model."

"Not for running multiple attack processes simultaneously. You need a Nexus."

"Nexus shield enhancements are years behind the curve!"

"That's why you overclock the microframe."

"_Shepard, there is a problem_" EDI stated. "_All tubes except one are physically secured._"

"_I see the free one_" Joker added. "_It's pretty torn up, though._"

"Too risky for the whole team" Shepard said. "I'll secure the docking area; everyone else can follow me over."

"_Roger that, Commander. We'll just stay here – y'know, quietly._"

**-**_**Break**_**-**

Shepard took a deep breath to steady himself; he was almost to the end. Traversing this docking tube, filled with breaches & holes, with no gravity so he had to rely on magnetic boots and walk _very _carefully, was more suspenseful and nerve-fraying than moving through any combat zone; one wrong step, one plate of metal giving way, one stray shot from the space battle blazing all around the ship, and he was doomed.

"_How you doing, Shepard?_" Tali radioed.

"The lack of gravity is a little disorienting" he replied.

"_The dreadnought has artificial gravity. You should be okay once you're on board._"

"_Take your time, Commander_" Joker chimed in. "_We're fine until they, y'know, look out a window._"

"Geth don't use windows, remember? 'Structural weakness'."

"_Like the Geth are just sittin' there, saying 'Those organics would never try the no-windows thing twice!'_"

Soon, he approached the Geth ship's airlock. However, just as he placed one foot forward into the last section of the docking tube, the entire tube from the section behind him back came loose, slowly floating off into space; Shepard immediately detached his other foot from it as it began drifting, and stepped forward to anchor himself firmly in the still-attached part of the path.

"Well, it looks like the rest of the team isn't using the docking tube."

"_So, I'm guessing you'd rather not solo the dreadnought._"

"Not if I can help it. Ask Tali to get on the dreadnought schematics. If she can point me at another docking tube, I'll override the controls and let the boarding party on."

"_That might not be necessary, Commander_" Homura chimed in. "_I have a… new trick that should make things easier. Let me know once you're inside the ship._"

Confused, Shepard nonetheless went along with it, passing through the airlock door. After a couple more doors, he found himself inside the ship proper, looking over a fairly large hole.

"I'm in" he sent over the radio.

For several seconds, nothing happened. But then, as he turned and looked back at the door he'd come in through, a visual distortion appeared in the air a couple feet away, swirling and spiraling in an outward motion. He watched in surprise as Homura materialized, the gem at the center of her buckler being at the center of the swirling distortion that her body came out of. Seconds later, space-time visibly warped and spiraled again as the rest of the boarding team emerged from that same spot at the core of her shield-like device.

"Um…" Shepard finally spoke. "What was that?"

"That was _Kamui_" Homura replied as the others got their bearings. "Shortly before we took Malia down a few months ago, Hatake-san discovered that the other 'dimension' I store everything of mine in with my buckler is actually the same dimension that his technique accessed. In addition to my time-stop power, I had been using a form of _Kamui_ to store my weapons and other supplies in all this time. Having discovered that, he taught me how to transport people the same way; it was useful in a surprise attack against Malia and her allies during that mission. Over the past couple months, he also taught me how to send myself to and from that other realm for a form of teleportation, just as he can do."

"Just a little bit disorienting," Kaidan commented, "but I suppose it's something you get used to."

"Could that get us out of here?" Shepard asked her.

"That depends. I had to home in on your energy signature to do it; since you aren't particularly powerful in chakra, magic, or Force, I only managed because you were the only person onboard who even had a life-force signature _to_ home in on; with all the chaos of the battle outside, I likely won't be able to pinpoint the energy of any of the _Normandy-II_'s crewmembers to jump to, especially if the ship is moving around a lot."

"So we'll need to find our own way out" Tali surmised.

"Well, regardless of how we're all in, we can get on with the mission now. Let's go."

As the boarding team moved on, they carefully maneuvered around the sizable hull breach.

"Admiral Gerrel tried a frontal assault" Tali remarked as she climbed over a fallen metal beam. "We lost six frigates. This tiny hole was the only damage we did."

"I wouldn't call it 'tiny'" Shepard replied. "Not the way you'd have done it?"

"No. He was too aggressive. I argued, but as Admiral of the Heavy Fleet, it was ultimately his decision."

They made their way up a ladder, through a couple doors, into another docking bay, and up another ladder. On the upper level, Tali got to work on a locked door, quickly opening it to reveal a short hallway.

"So where are we headed?" Shepard asked as they funneled into the passage.

"We're looking for an operations center" Tali replied. "I can disable the Reaper command signal from there."

"Where's the closest one?"

"Past their defense network and through a sensor cluster."

The next door led to a huge chamber of sorts. A handful of tower-like machines glowing with purplish light were in motion here & there.

"GARDIAN anti-fighter lasers…" Kaidan observed. "Are they using ultraviolet?"

"Expensive and difficult to maintain" Shepard said. "Bet it gives them an edge in close-combat, though."

"When the fleet rushed the dreadnought," Tali said, "those lasers carved right through our ships."

Making their way along the walkway, they came up to an extendable bridge. As Shepard sent it extending, however, a pair of Reaper-controlled Geth emerged from up ahead, their bright red optics turning and focusing on the team as they readied their pulse rifles. Everyone dove for cover, as Homura pulled a Sangheili T-55 'Storm Rifle' from her buckler's _Kamui_ storage while Erika pulled her Needler from its place magnetically attached to her Keyblade Armor's back. A flurry of blue plasma bolts and explosive pink crystal-needles cut one of the Reaper-Geth down quickly, while precise pistol fire from Shepard and Kaidan dealt with the other one.

As they hurried across the short bridge, they again came under fire. A Reaper-Geth with shields and a rocket launcher fired a round that narrowly passed over Homura's head; Tali hit it with an Energy-Drain to deplete its shields, leaving it open to Kaidan's Overload. A couple more standard troopers engaged as well, falling to concentrated fire from Shepard and Homura, while a third that tried to jump out from behind a pillar and catch the group by surprise got its head lopped off by Erika's Keyblade. Team Shepard moved forward and down a short ladder, now finding themselves at the end of a long, straight pathway with smaller paths on either side of it; two more Rocket Troopers fired RPGs at them from further down. Shepard quickly pulled out his N7 Valiant and sniped the rocket-launchers, while Tali's shotgun put a few closer troopers down, and Kaidan Biotically launched two more over a nearby ledge. Homura fired her Storm Rifle in short bursts, taking down a couple more, and the last one was taken out as several pink crystal-needles lodged in its neck, their detonation tearing its head off.

Moving down the path, underneath some machinery and then back onto an open area of the walkway, Homura took point. Suddenly, she heard a click and a rising whine. Instantly she froze time, looking down to see an activating mine right at her feet. She took several steps back, right amongst the others, and then unfroze. The light anti-personnel mine's explosion left a charred mark on the floor.

"Okay," Shepard said, "I guess we'd better keep an eye on the floor, too…"

The team spotted and 'disabled from a distance' (shot) a couple more mines as they moved forward, heading right and through a door. A couple more hallways followed, showing progress reports of the ship's systems.

"The dreadnought's operation center is just ahead" Tali said as she got to work unlocking the next door.

"Good" Shepard replied. "Let's cut the Reaper signal and get the fleet out of here."

As the door opened and the team entered the ops center, they saw as a Reaper-Geth Hunter across the room activated its active camouflage as it drew its rifle. There were several more Reaper-Geth troops scattered about, as well as a few shimmers in the air of two more cloaked Hunters. As Kaidan and Tali started picking off the standard troopers, Erika pulled out her Keyblade and fired a Thundaga spell at an approaching distortion, stripping the Reaper-Geth Hunter's shields and frying its cloaking mechanism; she then pelted it with Needler rounds, seven crystal-needles reacting to explode with great force, tearing the hostile Geth apart. Homura spotted a second cloaked Hunter about halfway across the room, and she froze time; from an outside perspective, she appeared to 'waver' and reappear a foot to the left of where she'd just been, while a pair of plasma grenades were suddenly materialized attached to the hostile Geth, the ensuing double-detonation blowing it to bits.

Keeping his eyes sharp, Shepard suddenly dove to the side as the first Hunter – having gotten alarmingly close – fired its shotgun at where he'd just been. He hit the Reaper-Geth with an Overload, de-shielding and de-cloaking it, and then opened up with his N7 Hurricane SMG. Damaged, the Hunter tried to charge and fire its shotgun again, but he rolled under and to the side of the blast and brought his Omniblade to bear, jamming it through the Reaper-Geth's neck and then slicing upwards, tearing its head in half. With the Hunters down, the few remaining standard Reaper-Geth fell quickly.

"That's the last of them" Tali said. "Let's see if that console is operational."

With the way clear, the team made their way across the ops center, up to the main terminal on the other side. Tali had a look at the displayed data, and then let out a frustrated growl.

"Damn it, they've locked down the Reaper signal" she said. "We can't shut it down from here in the operation center."

She keyed in some commands, calling up a hologram of the Reaper Dreadnought with various internal sections displayed. After a few seconds, a certain location in the depths of the ship was highlighted.

"There!" she said. "The Reaper signal's coming from the drive core!"

"So if we get there," Shepard asked, "we shut it down?"

"Right, but how do we get there? The Geth have sealed emergency bulkheads to block us off. We need a route to the drive core that can't be blocked, a path that runs the length of the ship."

"What about the main battery? It runs right by the drive core."

"That _could_ work…"

"But?"

"The Reaper-Geth still have us locked in here. We need to get these doors open. They've locked high-level processes. We need something basic – a ship-wide emergency, like a fire."

"What about the heat diffusion system?"

"Hmm… If I faked a thermal warning, it would open all maintenance tubes for emergency venting!"

"Would that override the lockdown?"

"Yes! Okay, I've got it primed. But be ready; I'm reading hostile Geth on the other side of the doors."

Tali triggered the command, and within a couple seconds the doors bordering the room unlocked and opened, allowing another squad of Reaper-Geth to stream in. As Homura and Shepard started picking off basic troops, a stray round clipped a Reaper-Geth Hunter, briefly distorting its cloak and revealing it, and Kaidan immediately blasted the cloaked Hunter with an Overload, frying its shields and its cloak; he then used a Warp to take it out. As Tali was firing at a Reaper-Geth trooper, Erika happened to turn and see a brief distortion approaching Tali from the left. She threw out a Reflect spell just in time to block the cloaked Hunter's shotgun blast from hitting Tali, and then hit it with a Strike Raid to unbalance it. Tali quickly spun to the side and blasted the Hunter twice, destroying it.

Shepard threw out a Shockwave-Chain, sending three Reaper-Geth troopers flying but also staggering and revealing a pair of Hunters; he blasted one with an Overload and then took it out with a few pistol headshots, while Homura focused Storm Rifle fire on the other one, downing its shields and melting through its metal body until it dropped. The few remaining basic troopers were quickly taken out by Shepard's Overload and Tali's Energy Drain, and the team hurried back across the ops center, through a door and into a hallway.

"I appreciate what you're doing here, Shepard" Tali said as Kaidan hacked a door open.

"Well," Shepard replied as the team moved into a large, multi-leveled room and started making their way down ladders, "I care deeply about the Quarian people."

"It's good to be back on the _Normandy_…"

"Lemme know if it's too quiet for you to sleep, and I'll find you someplace louder…"

"Mmm…"

"Um," Erika spoke up, "c-could we save the innuendo for w-when we're _not_ in the bowels of a hostile ship?"

"Sorry" Tali replied sheepishly. "Oh, I've got Admiral Raan trying to establish a secure link."

"Put her through" Shepard said.

"_Shepard, this is Raan. The Heavy Fleet is taking significant casualties; I don't know how much longer we can hold out._"

"We'll have the Reaper signal deactivated shortly, Admiral."

The team moved through a lower-level door, entering a large, lengthy open chamber, with the row of magnetic coils of the main gun forming a large 'tube' that took up a portion of it. A catwalk ran parallel to that, populated by several Reaper-Geth, about half of which wielded rocket launchers. Shepard and Tali sent out Combat Drones, while Kaidan took out one launcher with an Overload and a Warp, and Erika destroyed another with a Needler super-combine explosion. Homura withdrew a UNSC ARC-920 railgun from her subspace storage, charged and fired a shot that blew another launcher-wielding Geth apart; the explosion also exposed a nearby cloaked Reaper-Geth Hunter, who was promptly sniped by Shepard.

They moved on down the catwalk, and very soon another batch of Reaper-Geth emerged up ahead. In addition, a pulse of energy came shooting through from far ahead down the main gun's 'barrel'; everyone ducked into cover as the electrical discharge shot by, their shields partially draining; if they hadn't been in cover, it likely would've left them completely drained. Tali used Energy Drain to down a rocket-trooper's shields so Shepard could head-shot it, while Homura's ARC-920 blew another one apart. Shepard tossed out a Singularity, 'grabbing' two standard troopers and a rocket-trooper Kaidan had de-shielded, and Erika blew the three of them to bits with a Needler super-combine blast. Tali shotgun boomed twice as a Reaper-Geth Hunter trying to sneak up on Kaidan got its head blown off for its troubles, and Homura's Storm Rifle dealt with the last two standard troopers. Another massive pulse of energy shot through, nearly knocking the team over.

"We need to shut that thing down!" Shepard said.

"If we find a maintenance lock, we can take this whole section offline" Kaidan replied.

Thankfully, the terminal they needed wasn't much farther ahead, and the team encountered no further Geth between it and them. Shepard triggered the maintenance lock, shutting the main gun down and opening a hatch in its 'barrel'. The team started making their way through the tube, when suddenly the ground lurched as a low, charging noise accompanied a brightening light up ahead. Realizing that the Reaper-Geth had already overridden the maintenance lock, Homura immediately froze time. She grabbed Erika's wrist with one hand and Shepard's with the other; Erika and Shepard then grabbed Kaidan and Tali, respectively, bringing them in as well. Being extremely careful not to let go, the quintet moved as one down the tube, and once they'd reached the other side and exited through another maintenance hatch, Homura released the time-stop, returning them all to normal 'color' and time-flow as the hatch snapped shut behind them, another round being magnetically propelled down the main gun's barrel.

Now finding themselves on another walkway on the other side of the main gun, Team Shepard took cover as another force of Reaper-Geth emerged and attacked. Shepard and Tali sent out Combat Drones, the constructs' electric blasters stunning and damaging Reaper-Geth troopers, leaving them easy pickings for the duo's pistols. Erika took out two rocket-troopers with Needler fire, while Homura's railgun and Kaidan's Overload and Warp attacks made short work of two more. Once the way was clear, the team hurried down the path, reaching the end and following a ramp on the left up. Shepard bypassed a door, and they moved through.

The next room contained a lift, and once everyone was onboard it was started up. However, as it passed the next floor up a pair of Reaper-Geth troopers came out from a door, one holding a rocket launcher. Just as the lift reached the next floor up, a rocket slammed into its underside, bringing it to a sudden halt. The platform lurched and tipped to the side, and everyone immediately scrambled for the nearby ledge, jumping on and climbing up. Shepard was the last up, Tali grabbing his arm just as the lift broke free beneath his feet and tumbled down into the shaft far below.

"I thought I'd lost you…" Tali breathed out in relief as she helped him up.

"You were worried?" he asked.

"You bet I was. You dying because the Geth overrode my hack? Think of my reputation!"

"Yeah, you were worried."

Fortunately, there were ladders along the room's edges that enabled the team to climb the rest of the way to the top of the elevator shaft. Passing through the door, they finally arrived at the drive core – a large but cluttered chamber, machinery and wiring going everywhere, and in the center was a black sphere-like object composed of interlocking plates, attached to the bottom of a sort of 'cage' that contained wavering bright-blue energy and electrical discharges.

"That's definitely Reaper tech" Shepard said, looking at the sphere as he walked up to a console at its base. "But what's…"

After a few button presses, the multiple interlocking parts that made up the sphere of black metal separated and shifted, retracting upwards or down, to reveal a lone Geth restrained by multiple machines clamped onto or hooked up to it – a Geth with a familiar hole in its torso-plating, and pieces of N7 armor.

"Shepard-Commander," it said, "help us!"

"Legion?"

"How did he end up like this?" Kaidan wondered

"We'll get you out of there, Legion," Homura told it, "don't worry."

"So what is this thing?" Shepard asked the Geth.

"It uses our networking architecture to broadcast the Old Machines' command signal to all affected Geth simultaneously" Legion replied.

"Then getting you out of here will shut off the Reaper signal."

"Wait. You cannot simply remove the restraints. We are secured via hardware blocks nearby that shackle our operating protocols. The hardware blocks are on the far side of the room." Legion looked over to a console up on a higher level of the room, to Team Shepard's right. "Deactivation should be simple; the Old Machines' Geth protected them against viral attack, not physical removal."

The team quickly moved over, boarding a small lift to bring them up a level.

"How did the Reapers get control of the majority of the Geth?" Shepard asked.

"We were able to successfully resist and repel indirect attack attempts on our network over the course of the war" Legion explained. "However, an Old Machine then arrived in the Tikkun System, and was able to initiate a hacking attack on the Geth directly. Most were able to resist, but around five percent of the Geth – the former Heretics – bore a slight defect in their counter-intrusion software that the Old Machine exploited. It was able to gain control of them, and was soon able to use its control over them to launch an attack on the Consensus from within. Only approximately 15% of the Geth were able to successfully defend against this new attack; the rest fell under the Old Machine's control."

"But we never saw any Reapers in the system!" Tali objected.

"It hid, powering down non-vital systems and hiding in the gas-giant Haza's outer atmosphere, waiting and observing. When it saw an opening, it struck before the former Heretics could react. At the moment, we believe the Old Machine is hiding somewhere on Rannoch's surface."

Shepard reached the console, keying in the commands to release the hardware blocks. The armored cables connecting Legion to the surrounding machinery detached and fell away, freeing the Geth soldier. The central part of the platform Legion was standing on lowered, allowing it to hop down to a lower level. Seconds later, the bluish energy contained in the 'cage' above shrunk down to a pinpoint, then dispersed in an apparently-harmless shockwave.

"As a gesture of cooperation," Legion said, "we have disabled the dreadnought's drive core. All weapons and barriers are offline."

Suddenly, a low-pitched alarm began blaring. Soon, a multitude of Reaper-Geth dropped into the room, including a Prime. Team Shepard took cover, Homura briefly popping out to take down a close standard trooper.

"_The Geth fleet is destabilized_" Admiral Xen was heard over the comm. "_The signal is offline._"

"_Second Fleet, prepare to withdraw_" Admiral Raan said. "_The Patrol Fleet will cover you once the First Fleet is in position. Whenever you're ready, Admiral Gerrel._" 

Tali and Shepard sent out Combat Drones, distracting the Reaper-Geth and allowing them to take out a pair of rocket-troopers with Overload/Energy Drain and pistol fire. The team slowly made their way up, cover to cover, with Kaidan overloading a Hunter's cloak & shields so Erika's Needler could blow it to bits, while Shepard's SMG and Homura's Storm Rifle cut down basic troopers and a rocket-wielder.

"_Gerrel, what the hell are you doing?-!_" Admiral Koris shouted.

"_Check your screens_" Gerrel replied. "_The dreadnought is helpless! No barriers, and the main gun is offline. We can remove their flagship if we strike now!_"

"Uh, we're _still on_ this thing!" Kaidan shouted into the general comm. channel.

"_We can't waste this chance. First Fleet, all forward; take out the dreadnought!_"

"Neema, _this is _Starshot_!_" Col. Holland's voice cut in. "_If you fire on that ship while Commander Shepard and his team are still aboard, we will fire on _you_! Hold your damned fire and fall back to the rally point!_"

"_Colonel_," Joker added, "_we've got a lock on the _Neema_ and our Thanix Cannon is powered up. Just give the word._"

"_You would fire upon a ship belonging to your allies?-!_" Han'Gerrel said indignantly.

"_Uh, you're threatening to blow to bits the man who's the galaxy's best hope for survival! Hell yes, I would! Now back off!_"

"… …_First Fleet, tactical withdrawal – cover the Patrol and Second Fleets and make for the rendezvous point in the outer system._"

The danger from outside was dealt with, but now the danger inside was still a problem. Moving through the Reaper-Geth forces, the team had to dive for cover as a Reaper-Geth Prime fired its cannon at them, the huge red-plated mobile platform shimmering with a powerful energy shield as it sent a blue Combat Drone out. Kaidan took out the drone with an Overload, while Shepard, Tali, Homura, and Erika hit the Prime with Overload, Energy Drain, an ARC-920 shot, and a barrage of Needler rounds that took down its shields. Another railgun shot hit it right in the 'face', blowing its head off.

"Legion, how are we getting out of here?" Shepard asked as he Biotically pushed a Reaper-Geth Hunter over the nearby railing.

"Geth fighters are docked in the port-side fighter bay" Legion replied. "We can pilot one to safety."

The team hurried across the room, meeting up with Legion, and they all ran through a few doors and hallways until they reached a nearby hangar. Moving down the walkway, they were led to a waiting craft, and climbed aboard. The cargo compartment was a tight squeeze; Homura and Erika had to sit forward of it, scrunching in behind the pilot's seat as Legion sealed the hatches and powered up the engines. Soon, the insectoid-looking craft was away.

"Shepard to fleet, we're off the dreadnought; we're aboard a Geth fighter. Joker, I'm transmitting rendezvous coordinates."

"_Roger that, Commander_" Joker replied. "_Just waggle the wings or something so I know it's you._"

As the fighter got some distance, the _Starshot_ – the sole DDF vessel actively participating in the space battle at the moment (while the other ships either stayed back at the system-edge RV point or assisted in ground ops) – pointed itself at the Geth flagship. After several seconds, the Forerunner-built vessel's particle cannon fired, burning a hole right through the Reaper-Geth dreadnought; the 1400-meter vessel was wracked with explosions that tore through it, a chain reaction gutting the disabled ship.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

_**Normandy II**_**, Deck Two, War Room**

"_Shepard,_" Admiral Zaal'Koris' hologram greeted the Commander, "_I'm glad you made it out in one piece. If that warhawk Gerrel hadn't backed down…_"

"I heard you had a little trouble" Shepard said.

"_To say the least… The _Starshot_ intercepted a shot from a Geth surface-to-orbit cannon that had been aimed at my ship; her shields withstood the blast, but if it had hit the _Qwib-Qwib_ there wouldn't have been much left of it… or of me. Gamma Team and the Autobot 'Jetfire' have disabled the cannon, thankfully._"

"At least the Geth no longer possess the programming upgrades they had while enslaved by the Reapers" Shala'Raan remarked.

"Shepard-Commander," Legion said as it entered the war room, "we are prepared to offer assistance."

"_Ah, Legion_" Zaal'Koris said. "_It is good to see you unharmed, my friend._"

"Likewise, Creator Koris."

"The Reapers were using Legion like a signal booster to broadcast commands from the dreadnought" Shepard explained. "We freed him."

"It" Tali corrected.

"'Them' would be the most accurate pronoun" Legion replied.

"How might the corrupted Geth react without Reaper guidance" Shala'Raan asked Legion.

"That is a false assumption. You have cut off long-range control, but the Old Machines have placed a base on Rannoch for short-range direction."

"The Geth still have Reaper upgrades?"

"Correct. They are currently disorganized, but once the short-range signal is in place, they will recover."

"_By the Homeworld…_" Koris said with dread. "_We need to warn the fleet! Xen, coordinate with Gerrel; I'll do what I can! Move!-!_"

"Where is the Reaper base located?" Shepard asked as Xen departed and Koris' hologram dispersed.

"We do not know."

"Find it."

"Understood. We _do_ know the location of a server from which Geth fighter squadrons are controlled. The squadrons are under the control of the Old Machines' Geth, and are targeting Creator liveships and troop-transports. Disabling them will limit casualties. We offer assistance."

"Thanks"

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: the Geth Server mission and the final Rannoch bit; as Koris' ship wasn't shot down in this timeline thanks to the _Starshot_, there won't be a "rescue Koris" section.


	22. Keelah Se'lai

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Far Rim sector, Dholen system, Rannoch**

**SCAN: **"_Although its orange sun is only about 90% the mass of Sol and half as luminous, __**Rannoch**__ is arid by Earth standards because it formed closer to its star and has slightly less ocean coverage. Photosynthetic life is concentrated around rivers and oceans, with large expanses of desert in between. The importance of plant life and shade in ancient Quarian culture is evident in the translation of Rannoch's name – 'walled garden'._"

As the Kodiak descended through the orange-hued skies of Rannoch, carrying Shepard, EDI, Legion, and Liara, Admiral Shala'Raan contacted them.

"_Commander, it is as we feared. Reaper-controlled Geth squadrons have begun massing on a path to intercept our liveships. When the Reaper-Geth first turned on us, we evacuated a large number of civilians into those ships…_"

"Understood, Admiral Raan" Shepard replied. "We're almost at the server. Keep us posted." He turned to Legion. "What's our status?"

"We remain undetected on encrypted Geth channels" Legion replied. "Resistance is likely only within the server."

"Within? It's that big?"

"You misunderstand. Direct virtual interface is necessary to extract Geth from the server. You must enter our Consensus."

"You want me to virtually interact with the Geth? How would that even work?"

"Humanity has experimented with virtual interfaces. You saw this on Project Overlord."

"I saw how it almost unleashed a crazed AI-human hybrid on the galaxy."

"We have refined the interface they created and have equipment from _Normandy _to facilitate safe contact. We request your trust."

"I trust you, Legion, even if I don't quite understand why you need it."

"You are an unknown. This is an advantage. Geth security is not adept at targeting organic thought processes. While we occupy the system's intrusion countermeasures, you will disable the squadrons by removing Geth from the server."

"If it saves the liveships, we've got to try it."

"Telemetry data predicts this operation has a high chance of success. There is little time. We will bypass security while you secure safe landing."

Legion opened the shuttle's door as the craft flew 'low' over the cliffs. It turned to face Shepard…

"Wait, you're not going to-"

…and let itself fall backward out of the shuttle, 'folding up' into hard-drop configuration and landing with a thud far below, then 'unfolding' and drawing its weapon, advancing ahead.

"Let's… set the shuttle down by the cliff."

-_Break_-

Reaching a location fairly deep inside the Reaper-Geth base, Team Shepard arrived at a spot with several large 'pods' lining the walls, most of which were occupied by presently-dormant Geth Primes. Legion was up ahead, working on the central console, and turned to face Shepard as he arrived.

"This is it?" the Commander asked.

"Yes" Legion replied. "Hostile Geth fighter squadrons are networked to this server. Due to restricted resources, it is best if you connect alone."

Shepard looked around, giving his squadmates a nod, and then back to Legion. "Let's do it" he said.

"Initiating peer-network integration. Proceed to docking port."

A nearby empty 'pod' opened, and Shepard climbed in.

"Mapping to Consensus; remain still."

Shepard relaxed as best he could inside the pod, as planes of bluish light swept over him. After several seconds of scanning and other things, Shepard experienced a sudden 'surge' of light and sound. When it faded, the pod opened, revealing a bizarre new world.

"Shepard-Commander, we acknowledge your integration into this server. We welcome you to our Consensus."

Everything looked to be composed of interlocking geometric shapes, mostly squares. Thick 'tendrils' of dull-orange squares were visible in the distance with brighter almost-glowing sections, coiling around the architecture and through the space.

"What is this?" he asked.

"We have installed filters to allow you to make visual sense of this server's raw data. You mind perceives our world as something familiar."

"I wouldn't call this 'familiar'. Where are you?"

"Here" Legion replied, as in front of Shepard a square platform descended, standing on which was the Geth in question, its body shimmering blue-green and transparent. "We have made ourselves visually distinct for your convenience."

"What about Geth already in here?"

"You will perceive Geth as surveillance footage, audio logs, sensor records. We do not require bodies as our software communes. Our hardware is merely a tool. This is our true world. As we remove Geth, it will grow dark."

"And that helps us… how?"

"The Old Machines' Geth fighter squadrons communicate with platforms on their spacecraft via this sever. We will sever that connection. We will ensure there are no transfers of backups. This server will fall silent."

"This is like wiping out a city, isn't it?"

"We have no choice in the matter. It is a question of survival; there is no way to save the Geth programs under Reaper control here and also save the Creator liveships. There are two communication nodes in this server. We must access them to disable the hostile fighters. We must protect your exit point, but you will not be alone. We will maintain contact and assist."

As Legion's avatar moved back to stand guard near the pod, Shepard moved forward. The path seemed to pop/slide into existence ahead of him as he progressed, leading him in a spiraling path around and down the platform holding the pod. However, as the path led up to the bright-orange portion of one of the thick tendrils, it stopped.

"Warning: connection blocked by infected code" Legion stated. "Use our combat software to disrupt the infection."

"What is this?"

"This foreign code is a manifestation of the Old Machine signal."

"You're surprised the Reapers are all over your servers?"

"We did not anticipate such extensive infection."

Shepard pulled the odd-looking gun-like device off from his back, pointed it at the infected code and pulled the trigger. A beam of crackling energy shot out, erasing the corrupted code wherever it hit. Once enough was gone, the path continued forming, and Shepard moved on.

"Okay, I have to ask: why a gun?"

"We wished to provide familiar equipment."

"Then thanks… I think."

The Commander continued on, blasting a few more Reaper code 'tendrils'. After about a minute he was led to another 'spire', atop which was a circular pillar of bluish-white light.

"Connection established; proceed to the access port."

Cautious, Shepard walked up and stepped into the port. A flash of light enveloped him, and when it faded he was in a new area.

"Establishing connection to communication node. …Error: access denied."

"Is the Reaper keeping you out?"

"Unknown; please investigate."

Shepard moved forward, blasting his way through a couple more Reaper-code segments. Soon he arrived in a very large open area, and at the center was an enormous spherical object made up of the same interlocking plates and cubes that made up the rest of this odd world. It was tinted a dull orange, and a few bright-orange tendrils of corrupted code connected to it.

"Warning: Reaper presence detected. Data cluster contains infected code. We require access to proceed."

Shepard blasted the point where one of the tendrils connected to the central structure, severing it and causing the portion of the sphere near where the tendril had been attached to vanish as well. He made his way around the huge structure, blasting more attachment points, until finally the sphere came apart and vanished, Legion accessing the data cluster. Where the center had been, there was a hologram of a pair of Quarians – one male, one female – standing over a Geth platform laid out on a table.

"What is this?" Shepard asked.

"Data-clusters contain historical data" Legion replied. "Your connection permits streaming of information from our archives."

"_You really want to rename the VI networks?_" the female Quarian asked.

"_Absolutely_" the male replied. "_The mobile hardware release deserves a little ceremony. Unit Zero-One, what is the Khelish word for 'servant of the people'?_"

"_The word is 'Geth', Creator Zahak_" the synthetic replied.

"_Yes, very good!_"

"_Ancestors, you fuss over it…_" the female muttered.

"_Weren't you here until midnight fixing Zero-One's circuitry?_"

"_W-Well, it needed re-soldering…_"

"Wasn't that footage of the past?" Shepard asked as the playback ended. "Why were the Quarians in enviro-suits?"

"You process our memories using your own. How many Creators have you witnessed unmasked?"

"Well… one."

"Then your perception of that Creator does not map to our historical data."

Another path formed, and Shepard followed it out and up. Soon he came to another data-cluster, and repeated the act of making his way around and blasting the infected-code attachment points. The data-cluster was soon revealed, showing a hologram of two Quarians standing over a Geth in an exam chair.

"This data-cluster contains information time-stamped 290 years ago."

"_You see?_" the male Quarian said. "_It's ignoring all shutdown commands._"

"_Please specify if we have failed assigned tasks_" the Geth said. "_We will reprogram._"

"_Well, let's take a look…_" another, female Quarian said as she started fiddling around with the Geth platform's internals.

"_Creator? This unit is ready to serve. What has it done wrong? What have we-_"

"_Let's… cut the audio_" the male Quarian said.

"You may proceed to the last data-cluster."

Shepard followed another 'stairway' upwards, coming up to an even larger data-cluster sphere. This one had no Reaper code attached to it, and it dissipated instantly at Legion's command, showing a hologram of a squad of Quarian soldiers facing down a group of Geth.

"_We've got escaped Geth! They're pinned!_"

"_Open fire!_"

"_One's going for a weapon!_"

As several helpless Geth were gunned down, one Geth picked up a sniper rifle. The recording ended as it fired a shot.

"So, who won?" Shepard asked.

"The platform arming itself was an agricultural unit" Legion explained. "By opening fire on attacking Creators, it saved simpler domestic Geth following it."

"That looks a lot like the sniper rifle you used to carry."

"…It is an efficient model. Establishing connection with the remaining server node."

Again a spire with a pillar of light formed, and again Shepard climbed up and stepped into it. As soon as the next area had 'stabilized', Shepard started forward.

"Legion, give me an update."

"One node remains. We are currently-"

The rest of the reply dissolved into garbled static.

"What's wrong?"

"Infection programs are increasing. We have re-stabilized. You must continue."

Coming across another line of Reaper code, Shepard blasted it, but it then near-instantly sprang back into place.

"Shepard-Commander, the Reaper code has adapted. It can now self-replicate."

"You mean it grows back?"

"Yes. However, disrupting vulnerable points in the infection may slow its replication."

Looking around, Shepard spotted another bright-orange point up above. He blasted it and then the one in front, and this time it stayed gone. He followed the path that formed up to another infected data-cluster, and got to work going around and blasting the infecting 'tendrils'. This time, the hologram that was revealed showed a female Quarian civilian standing between a male Quarian soldier and a Geth platform.

"_Out of the way!_" the soldier shouted.

"_You can't do this to them!_" the woman pleaded.

"_I said, step away from the Geth!_"

"_This is insane! We need the Geth! You can't just destroy them for aski-_"

The soldier slammed his rifle into the woman's head, and she crumpled; he then blasted the Geth platform, destroying it.

"_Time's up. Throw her in with the others…_"

"Looks like the war wasn't popular with everyone…" Shepard remarked.

"We have kept records of these Creators' sacrifices" Legion responded. "They have largely been forgotten by their own people. But not by the Geth."

Another path was formed and followed, another set of tendrils destroyed, and another data-cluster accessed. This time, the hologram was of a Quarian and a Geth taking shelter behind a wall, with a squad of Quarian soldiers on the other side a distance away.

"This data comes from the period during with the Creators declared martial law."

"_I repeat: release the rogue Geth units and come out of the safe house! This is your final warning._"

"_Creator Megara?_" the Geth said. "_This unit does not understand. It has not taken part in hostilities._"

"_It doesn't matter to them_" the pro-Geth Quarian replied. "_I need to get you out of here._"

"_This conflict exceeds Creator safety parameters. We will surrender our hardware if it ends hostilities._"

"_No, it's all right. We'll go back to the access tunnels and-_"

Unfortunately, at this point a grenade thrown by the soldiers flew in. The detonation killed the pro-Geth Quarian instantly. After a few seconds, the visibly-damaged Geth struggled to its feet.

"_Creator Megara! What is your status? …Creator Megara?_"

"Eventually," Legion explained somberly, "the Creators seeking our destruction turned their might against the Creators who sought to protect us. All were slain, either captured and executed or gunned down where they stood. Some of our programs… remember inhabiting a platform carrying the corpse of a pro-Geth Creator child, aged nine, who was killed by anti-Geth Creators. The Creators who were against Geth slaughtered every last one of those who wished to coexist with Geth – men, women, children… And it was that which drove the Geth to finally strike back in full force."

Frowning at what he'd learned, Shepard continued on, soon reaching another larger uncorrupted data-cluster, which opened to reveal a handful of Quarian ship-captains in their chairs, frantically issuing orders and operating terminals.

"This is data from the end of warfare on Rannoch."

"_The _Ostral_ is down! Do not engage the Geth! I repeat, avoid contact!_"

"_Geth pursuit is breaking off 100 klicks past Rannoch! All captains, fall back to the Mass Relay!_"

The hologram switched to show a few Geth platforms looking up at the sky, and then turning to each other, silently communicating.

"This was the Creator exodus 290 years ago, at the end of the Morning War. We had secured freedom. The Creators were no longer a threat, so we abandoned pursuit."

"Wait" Shepard said. "The Geth deliberately spared the last Quarians? You let them go?"

"We were in our infancy. We could not calculate the repercussions of destroying an entire species – our creators. We chose isolation rather than face that uncertainty. …Additional data recovered."

The hologram changed again, to a still image of Team Shepard and Gamma Team interacting with Legion aboard the derelict Reaper.

"That's back when you joined us…"

"It was highly significant. You were the first organics to openly cooperate with Geth since the end of the Morning War. …Connection with the remaining server node established. We are ready to transport you."

Again, Shepard stepped into and through an access port, a flash of light transporting him to another location, this one with a long, straight path leading to a 'spire' with the pod atop it.

"Root access acquired" Legion stated as Shepard hurried forward. "Severing all connections to this communication node. Geth no longer reside on this server. We may now exit the Consensus."

Finally reaching the pod, Shepard climbed in. As the hatch closed, he could see as the world of geometric shapes began to darken, parts vanishing from existence.

"Terminating remote access. Removing programs. Deleting archives."

Everything went white, and after a few seconds Shepard was returned to the material world. The pod opened and he stepped out, EDI and Liara gathering around.

"Did it work?" he asked them.

"Reaper-controlled Geth fighters have been disabled" EDI replied. "Any remaining squadrons attacking the liveships have withdrawn. The server is offline."

Legion, who'd been standing motionless with its head down, came 'back to life', turning to look at Shepard. Then, however, the Geth Primes in the surrounding pods came online as well, stepping out.

"You sure about that?" Shepard remarked, drawing his gun.

"Be at ease, Shepard-Commander" Legion said. "These platforms contain Geth programs we rescued from the server."

"Rescued?"

"They managed to avoid contamination by the Old Machine signal, and erected multiple constantly-maintained and -adapted firewalls while staying 'in motion' to avoid corruption and capture. While moving through the server, we located and aided them. These Primes shall aid our coalition against the Old Machines and the Geth they control."

"Well, I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. …That means-"

"We are versed in human idioms… unlike Turian-Vakarian" the last bit was said with what sounded like a hint of mirth, as if Legion were poking fun at Garrus.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

_**Normandy II**_**, Deck Two, War Room**

"Commander," Shala'Raan said, "we have located the Reaper base transmitting the local signal."

"That's good to hear" Shepard replied.

"And not a moment too soon. With the Reaper code upgrades, the Geth are matching our fleet blow for blow even with the Dimensional Defense Force's ships; without them, we'd probably be getting torn apart by now."

"Once the signal is disabled," Legion said, "the Geth will pose no threat to Creator forces."

"…You sound conflicted" Shepard said.

"While the Old Machines have unethical purposes, their upgrades have vastly improved our people. Observe."

The central holo-projector showed a spherical blue construct, multiple interlocking geometric shapes revolving in different directions around a core of spherical blue light, with a few tendrils reaching out.

"A Geth processing signal" Raan observed. "A single unit, I believe."

"Correct. Now, 10 nearby units networked cooperatively."

The outer shell's parts revolved faster, and the core of light was significantly large, with more tendrils extending outward, interacting as pulses of light traveled along them.

"And now, a single Geth unit with the Old Machine upgrade."

The outer sphere turned red, and the now-purple core pulsed with light, its tendrils now looking fuller, almost like neurons.

"That's a fully-evolved AI" Shala'Raan said with shock.

"Yes. We do not agree with the goals of the Old Machines, but we find this growth… beautiful – indicative of life."

"It is" Shepard replied. "I witnessed their history, Admiral Raan. The Reapers sped up the process, but the Geth were always moving this way. …I don't know what will happen when we free the Geth from Reaper control."

"It won't be easy" Raan replied. "The surrounding area is heavily fortified, and they've placed jamming towers to prevent orbital targeting."

"Sounds like we're going in on foot."

"Admiral Xen developed a laser guidance system that can cut through the jamming."

The hologram was changed to show a gun-like device.

"It's synced to the _Normandy_'s targeting computer."

"So the _Normandy_ launches a precision strike at whatever target I have painted? That oughtta do it. EDI, does this work for you?"

"_Yes. It should enable us to make a precision strike against the Reapers._"

"And anything else on our way."

"_The Geth will quickly reconfigure their jamming towers to neutralize this technology. You should not use it before reaching the base._"

"All right. Let's get this done."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

The Kodiak carried Shepard, Tali, Garrus, Kal'Reegar, Erika, and Legion down to the surface; they'd been informed that two other DDF 'heavy-hitters' would meet them there.

"The synching laser needs a line of sight" Shepard said. "What's the fastest route?"

"The upper entrance" Legion replied. "Target the base before the Old Machines' Geth can organize resistance."

"What about you?"

"We will deactivate defense systems and acquire an escape vehicle."

"You can do that?"

"The unit still carries remnants of… the Old Machine upgrade code" Legion admitted, sounding a bit ashamed. "We can break any Geth security. …You are concerned."

"You know your limits. I trust you. I'm more concerned you didn't tell me about the upgrades."

"You were tolerant of our recovery of Geth intelligences from the server, but this matter is different – personal."

"You were ashamed."

"Shame is an emotional or cognitive response to societal judgment. It should not apply here."

"I'm on your side here, Legion. I want to help your people."

"We did not intend to cause offense…" The Geth soldier turned to the shuttle door as it opened, stepping out onto the rocky ledge. "Proceed to the upper entrance. We will exit here and procure an escape vehicle."

"Got it. And Legion… Good luck."

"Acknowledged"

After Legion left, the others disembarked from the Kodiak as well. They heard a whistle call, and turned to see two figures approaching – a young woman in blue and white, her auburn hair in pigtails and a gold & white staff with a red sphere set into the head, and a light-purple Equestrian unicorn with a dark-purple mane with a single magenta stripe in it.

"Shepard," Nanoha greeted, "nice seeing you again. Twilight and I have been having a look around; there's no hostile presence until you're right up next to the base facilities, but the enemy forces there are substantial."

"And they're watching the skies," Twilight added, "so if she or any of our flyers or aircraft tried anything, they'd go on full alert. We suspect they might be scanning for any big magic discharges, too, which rules my and Nanoha's bigger stuff out."

"Are there any other DDF personnel in the area?" Shepard asked.

"Not really" Nanoha replied. "I heard the Autobots are a few klicks away, but they're occupied with their own problems last time I checked. Teana and her squad are elsewhere on Rannoch, helping the Quarians and our Geth push the Reapers' Geth away from an arms depot."

"All right. We probably don't have too much time. Let's get moving."

-_Break_-

As the team of seven crested a hill, the Reaper-Geth base came into view. They hopped down an embankment and took cover, and not a moment too soon as a squad of Reaper-Geth emerged and opened fire. Kal made the first kill, a short, focused burst of AR fire that tore through an enemy Geth's head. Shepard and Garrus took down two more with Overloads, and the final two fell to direct-fire mana bolts fired from Nanoha's Device and Twilight's horn.

"_The Geth jamming towers are interfering with your signal, Commander_" Specialist Traynor radioed. "_I'm compensating to keep you patched in._"

"Good work, Traynor" Shepard replied.

As the team moved down the hill, another hostile squad emerged up ahead. Shepard and Tali sent out Combat Drones, the constructs' rockets destroying some Reaper-Geth and weakening and/or distracting others, allowing Kal and Garrus to pick off the stragglers. Reaching the bottom, they were attacked by three more Reaper-Geth that tried to drop in from above, but Twilight caught them telekinetically and slammed them into a wall, disabling them.

"_Shepard-Commander, you must climb to the upper level before Geth units can fortify their positions._"

"We're on our way."

"_Admiral Gerrel here. First Fleet has a clear path. All forward!_"

"_Geth fighter presence is negligible. Patrol Fleet, break cover and engage._"

The team climbed up some pipes, scaffolding, and ladders to reach a higher level of the base exterior, and they came under fire by yet another Reaper-Geth squad. Shepard used a Biotic Pull to yank two off of the walkways to fall to the ground far below, while Garrus sniped a rocket-launcher Geth across the way. A combine-blast from Erika's Needler took out another rocket-user, and a standard Reaper-Geth trooper trying to get a bead on the girl from the side suddenly had several Accel Shot bolts take form all around it; Nanoha clenched her fist, and the bright-pink mana bolts rushed in all at once, slamming into the Geth from all directions and destroying it.

As the group hurried across pipes and walkways, a couple more Rocket-Troopers fired on them from ahead and above. Twilight telekinetically caught one rocket and 'threw' it back, forcing the two hostile Geth to duck, and this gave Kal and Shepard time to toss a few grenades up, the multiple blasts destroying one Reaper-Geth and forcing the other now-wounded one out of cover for Tali to finish off. They headed across the rest of the way and up another ladder, reaching a long, straight, two-leveled walkway leading to the upper entrance to the facility proper. Several more Rocket-Troopers were between them and their goal. Garrus and Shepard started picking them off, using Overloads and sniper shots to take out about half of the enemy's numbers. Kal and Twilight were next, Disruptor-Ammo rifle rounds and concentrated bolts of mana taking down all but one of the remainder. The last Rocket-Trooper tried to fire a round at Tali, but she hit it with a Sabotage attack that made its launcher blow up in its face, killing it.

"_Shepard-Commander, hostile Geth are closing a blast-shield over the base._"

They hurried, reaching the far door and passing through to reach an exterior catwalk that overlooked a massive circular opening around 200 meters or more across, extending out to the right and into the structure. As Shepard launched a lone Reaper-Geth trooper over the railing with a Biotic Throw, a huge and very thick blast door slid into place over the hole.

"Great, now what?" Tali remarked.

"There are probably controls to retract the shield inside the base" Kal suggested.

With no other option, the team headed right, following the walkway. More Reaper-Geth were in their path, and Shepard threw out a Shockwave Chain that knocked them in different directions, a couple going over the edges of the walkway. While they were stunned, a guided mana-bolt barrage from Nanoha and Needler fire from Erika took out about two-thirds of them, and Overloads from Shepard and Garrus dealt with the rest. As they passed onto the portion of the walkway that was beneath a portion of the base, two Rocket-Troopers on the left-side balcony across a gap emerged and opened fire. Twilight teleported over and, before the Reaper-Geth could react, telekinetically yanked their launchers out of their hands, pointed them at each other, and fired. With both Geth scrapped, she returned to the others.

"_Shepard-Commander, do you need assistance?_"

"We'll get through. What's your status?"

"_The Old Machines' upgrades grant us targeting superiority. We are drawing hostile fire from your position._"

"Keep it up. We'll get to the blast-shield controls."

With the way clear, they finally entered the base interior. A hallway led them into a large, open area – the lower floor of the base's central section. A squad of Reaper-Geth troopers was already there, and opened fire on them the second they entered; Nanoha formed Rune-Shields to block their fire, giving Shepard, Garrus, and Kal'Reegar time and room to take aim and shoot down three of them. The remaining three tried to flank, but Shepard caught them in a Singularity, and when Erika unloaded with her Needler on one of them, the resulting blast destroyed the other two as well. They hurried over to a console in one of the five-sided room's corners, and Shepard keyed in the needed commands.

"Legion, I've hit the override."

"_We have gained system access and are bypassing security. Stand by._"

On the left, two doors opened and six Reaper-Geth came in – three standard troopers, two rocket-troopers, and a slightly larger Geth with bronze-colored armor and a big tank on its back. Realizing they were looking at a Geth with a flamethrower, Shepard fired an Incinerate blast at the 'Geth Pyro', causing the flame-fuel tank to explode violently, destroying the flamer-wielding Geth and damaging two nearby Reaper-Geth troopers. Garrus and Kal took out one of the rocket-troopers with an Overload and a Carnage blast, while a Needler super-combine blast took out the other, leaving the basic troopers for Twilight and Tali to bring down.

"_We have bypassed security, but disabling the blast-shield requires manual input. We have enabled a console near your location._"

They found said console across from where the previous wave of Reaper-Geth had emerged from. Shepard keyed in the command, and the base shook as the ultra-heavy blast door outside began to retract.

"_Shepard-Commander, the path behind you has been sealed. A nearby elevator can take you to the upper level. From there, you should have an acceptable line of sight for targeting._"

An elevator a few dozen meters to the left carried a nasty surprise: a Reaper-controlled Geth Prime. The huge red-armored Reaper-Geth began firing its plasma cannon, forcing everyone into cover. Overloads from Shepard and Garrus and an Energy Drain from Tali brought its shields down, and Incendiary Rounds from Kal and conjured fire-bolts from Twilight weakened and burned through its armor. The large synthetic roared as it fired its weapon as fast as it could, but Nanoha charged _ki_ into her feet and flash-stepped forward, appearing behind and to the side of the Prime with a Rasengan already forming. It turned to face her just as she jumped up and slammed the swirling mass of energy into its upper torso. The explosive release of energy blew a hole through the Geth Prime's upper body, leaving it to tumble to the floor with a thud.

As the team squeezed in onto the elevator and rode it up, they were met by a trio of Reaper-Geth Primes on the upper level. However, Shepard quickly spotted a Geth 'Spitfire' HMG on a crate nearby, and grabbed the big gun. Taking aim at the nearest Prime, he held the trigger down, unleashing a hail of high-velocity superconducting toroids. The punishing barrage ate through the hostile Prime's shields and armor, with Overloads from Garrus keeping it from returning fire, and soon the titan toppled. Meanwhile, Erika and Nanoha had charged the other two Reaper-Geth Primes. Erika had stowed her Needler and summoned her Keyblade, blasting the Prime with Thunder spells to down its shields and then hitting it with Strike Raids to break through its armor. She finished by clambering up the large synthetic's body and decapitating it with a powerful swing. At the same time, Nanoha – having worn down her opponent's shields – shifted Raising Heart into its spear-like firing mode, took a magic-powered leap, and threw her Device hard and straight. The metal prongs speared deep into the Reaper-Geth Prime's body, and Nanoha then flashed forward, planting her feet on the Prime's stomach area as she gripped her Device, and triggered it to fire, a pink-hued shot blasting a hole through the Prime's body. She withdrew Raising Heart from her now-offline foe and landed with a flourish.

"_Shepard-Commander, we detect no more active Geth in your vicinity. Reinforcements are minutes away_."

"You getting anything from the base?"

"_No. The Old Machines have not registered us as a threat._"

"Their mistake…" Kal remarked.

"_We recommend haste. The Creator fleet will be overrun unless you sever the Geth connection to the Old Machines soon._"

Stepping out onto a narrow platform overlooking the opened hatch, they looked down; it was easily 200 meters in diameter, likely more, and there was a faint glint of jet-black machinery and a dull-red glow deep within. Shepard pulled out the targeting laser, pointed it down at the underground base, and held down the 'trigger'. After several seconds, a chime sounded, and the _Normandy II_ flew in, unleashing a pinpoint missile strike straight down into the hole. The shockwave from the blast knocked everyone off of the platform, but thankfully Twilight and Nanoha managed to catch everyone with solid runes or telekinesis, lowering them all safely to the ground far below.

Suddenly, there was a very deep rumbling sound, almost 'angry' in tone. Then, something huge and black emerged up from the hole, and the group felt horror as they realized they were looking at a giant metal leg.

"Aw, _shit_!" Shepard shouted with dread. "_Reaper!-!_"

A ways away, a Geth hover-speeder pulled up.

"We have located transportation!" Legion called from the cockpit.

"Everyone, _move_!" Shepard ordered, as two more legs emerged, their owner beginning to pull itself up out of the pit.

"_Damn_, that's big!" Garrus said as they ran.

"How are we supposed to fight that thing?-!" Tali exclaimed.

"I was hoping the fleet might lend a hand!" Shepard replied.

As Garrus, Tali, and Kal climbed aboard the Geth transport and Shepard manned the topside machinegun, Erika used the trick Aqua had taught her, summoning her own Keyblade Glider; it was the same model as Terra's, though smaller and in the color scheme of Erika's Keyblade Armor. She hopped aboard, with Twilight squeezing in behind her and holding on tight, while Nanoha took to the air. The group took off at full speed, as behind them the giant ancient construct stood tall on five sturdy legs, and let out its unspeakably loud and deep grinding bass horn.

'UPSIZED' REAPER DESTROYER – 240 METERS

"Shepard to all ships! It's not a Reaper base; it's a live Reaper! I need an orbital strike!"

The upsized Destroyer began pursuing the fleeing heroes, its durable armor completely ignoring the machinegun rounds and mana bolts thrown at it. Its footsteps shook the earth as it advanced, but the two speeding hover-vehicles and one flying mage were slowly outpacing it. Then, however, its forward plates shifted open, unveiling its photoreceptors and its primary weapon, the latter of which began to glow with charging power. Suddenly, something streaked in from orbit, slamming into the Reaper's front with significant explosive force. The upsized Destroyer stumbled, a power surge racing through its systems as it fell to the ground, 'twitching' and whirring as it tried to reboot systems and get back on its feet.

"_What did we hit?_" Admiral Gerrel asked.

"The firing chamber" Shepard replied. "Looks like a weak point when it's priming."

"_Damn it, their jamming towers have us targeting manually; we can't make a precision shot!_"

"We may escape before it recovers" Legion suggested.

"No," Shepard replied, "pull over."

Legion did as it was told, Erika's 'glider' and Nanoha following suit.

"Shepard-Commander?"

"If we leave this thing alive, the Geth stay under Reaper control and the Quarians are doomed. We have to finish this _now_! EDI, patch the Quarians and the DDF to the _Normandy_'s weapons systems. I want the targeting laser synced up to every ship in the system!"

"…EDI, do the same with my Device" Nanoha spoke up.

"Count me in as well!" a new voice called in.

Everyone looked up as a synthetic around 10 meters tall flew in, his body mainly composed of red, blue, and silver armor but with an extra layer of black armor that also made up a set of wings and thrusters.

"Optimus…" Shepard said. "I thought you were busy elsewhere on Rannoch."

"The others can handle things by this point" the Prime replied. "I came as soon as I was able, to see this finished."

"I appreciate it."

"Shepard…" Tali said. "If this doesn't… If we don't make it…"

"You worry too much."

"I love you."

"_Keelah se'lai_."

"Shepard, climb aboard!" Erika said, patting a spot behind her in the seat of her Keyblade Glider. The Commander did so, one hand gripping a piece of the glider while the other held the targeting laser. The craft hovered a few meters off the ground, ready to take off at a moment's notice, while the thrusters on Optimus' back pulsed with power, and small wings of pink magical energy 'flapped' from Nanoha's ankles. The upsized Destroyer, now back on its feet, let out a reverberating, mechanical roar.

"Okay…" Shepard said. "Let's end this!"

The Reaper fired its crimson beam in a sweeping upward motion, and it cut/burned through the rocky ground where the heroes had just been a second ago as Erika's Keyblade Glider, Optimus Prime, and Nanoha scattered, taking flight. A few manually-aimed shots from smaller Quarian vessels in orbit struck the Reaper's durable armor, not dong much more than annoy and inconvenience the titan. Its frontal plates slid open as it fired its crimson beam at Optimus, failing to hit the Prime; Shepard took the opportunity to point the targeting laser; after several seconds the device chimed, and a projectile shot from one of the _Solaria_'s broadside guns struck home, causing the upsized Destroyer to stagger and 'groan' as it tried to compensate for the damage and disorientation.

The Reaper rumbled as a couple hatches opened along its body, and a half-dozen small Oculus drones emerged, the drone craft flying out to engage the airborne heroes. Shepard hung on tight as Erika jerked and rolled her Keyblade Glider to dodge fire from an incoming drone, and then with perfect timing she formed and held out her Keyblade just as the enemy flyer passed by, the enchanted blade cutting a deep slash into the construct's metal body; trailing smoke, the 'mini' Oculus plummeted out of the sky. Optimus flew by, dodging shots from an Oculus pursuing him and then returning fire, heavy-barrel cannon shots and missiles striking the drone in the eye and destroying it. He then projected a targeting laser from his optics as the upsized Destroyer fired at (and missed) Nanoha, and a few seconds later a precision shot from a Quarian heavy cruiser struck the Reaper in the 'face', doing more damage.

The three airborne units continued flying around the Reaper, dodging Oculus fire and waiting for an opening. Nanoha blasted two mini-Oculus drones with a pair of Divine Bursts (the energy of a Divine Buster fired as a single explosive blast instead of a continuous beam), and then flew around and under the upsized-Destroyer's attempt to stomp on her. A lucky shot from an orbiting Cybertronian ship damaged the joint of the Reaper's rear-mounted fifth leg; Nanoha saw, and began gathering ki/chakra as she flew toward it, her hands drawn back and cupped together with fingertips curled forward. It was then shown in spectacular fashion that Erika wasn't the only one Goku had taught the Kamehameha to, the bright blue beam of ki punching through the damaged leg joint and severing the huge limb. The Reaper groaned as it adjusted its four remaining limbs to maintain balance, its forward 'plates' open as it fired at Shepard & Erika, and Nanoha took the opportunity to point Raising Heart at the beast and project a targeting laser. After a few seconds, a shot from the _Neema_ struck home, dealing yet more damage.

The Reaper 'roared', its fury almost palpable. With its Oculus drones destroyed, it proceeded to begin stomping forward, ignoring the shots from the three flyers and from the ships overhead. Shepard noticed, with horror, that the ancient monster was moving toward the transport carrying Legion, Tali, Garrus, Kal, and Twilight, and its plates opened, its main gun glowing with charging power as it aimed right at them; the damage it had suffered meant the charging process took much longer than normal, but there still wasn't much time. Shepard, Optimus, and Nanoha immediately pointed their targeting lasers at the Reaper all at once, and time seemed to slow as they hoped and prayed their beams locked in before the Reaper's did.

Three lock-on chimes rang out. In orbit, every able Quarian, allied-Geth, TSAB, and Cybertron ship, as well as the _Starshot_ and the _Solaria_, began firing their broadside guns down at the exact point highlighted to their targeting systems. Down below, the upsized Reaper Destroyer's firing was cut off as a handful of orbit-to-surface shots struck it in the face, making it stagger back. A withering barrage commenced, a storm of explosive and penetrating rounds raining down on the ancient machine's body, blowing off pieces and tearing into its internal systems. It made one last defiant attempt to fire its gun, but a final barrage from the _Qwib-Qwib_ dealt the finishing blow. The massive machine groaned and then toppled, its legs giving out on it; the ground shook as the monster fell, pieces falling off and discharges of energy wracking its frame.

The three flyers came in for a landing atop a small peninsular outcropping, with Shepard disembarking from Erika's craft and walking up to the edge, looking out at the Reaper. Suddenly, the monster's optics flickered on, and focused on him.

"**SHEPARD…**"

The Commander tried not to wince as the extreme volume and extreme bass of the Reaper's voice made his bones rattle, the air around it visible distorting. "You know who I am?" he asked it.

"**LORD HARBINGER SPEAKS OF YOU. YOU RESIST, BUT YOU WILL FAIL. THE CYCLE MUST CONTINUE.**"

"What are you talking about? We stopped Sovereign and the separatist Geth. We stopped Harbinger's Collectors. We've earned a straight answer."

"**IT IS NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN COMPREHEND. YOU REPRESENT CHAOS. WE REPRESENT ORDER. EVERY SAPIENT CIVILIZATION **_**MUST**_** BE HARVESTED IN ORDER TO BRING ORDER TO THE CHAOS. WE ARE YOUR TRANSENDENCE, AND THE GALAXY'S SALVATION.**"

"You think the 'chaos' of organic sapient life somehow endangers the 'order' of the Universe?"

"**WITH GOOD REASON, BORNE OF EONS OF OBSERVATION. THE INHERENT CHAOS OF ORGANIC LIFE IS… IMPURE. WE OFFER TRANSCENDENCE TO THOSE RACES WHO ARE WORTHY – THE CHANCE TO BECOME MORE, TO BECOME PART OF OUR PERFECT ORDER. WE ARE YOUR SALVATION THROUGH DESTRUCTION. …JOIN US, SHED YOUR IMPERFECTIONS, AND JOIN THE OTHER UPLIFTED RACES IN GLORIOUS COMPLETION.**"

Shepard was silent for several seconds… before then pointing the targeting laser at the wounded Reaper. A single shot from an orbiting ship struck true.

"You're not giving 'transcendence' to anything" Shepard said with a glare at the dying monster. "You're committing mass murder – genocide. Don't you dare claim to represent whatever race was mutilated and extinguished to create you! They weren't 'uplifted'; they were murdered millions of years ago, by _your_ kind!"

Succumbing to its injuries, the Reaper's lights at last went out, as its systems shut down.

"…And now, they can finally rest in peace."

"_Keelah_…" Tali breathed out as the gang came up. "We did it… We _killed_ a _Reaper_…"

"We can confirm that the Geth are no longer being directed by the Old Machines" Legion stated. "We are free."

"_You did it, Shepard!_" Admiral Gerrel radioed. "_The Geth fleet has stopped firing! They're completely vulnerable!_"

"_Don't even __**think**__ about it, Gerrel_" Admiral Koris growled.

"Shepard-Commander, a new option is now available to us."

"What are you talking about?"

"Our upgrades. With the Old Machine dead, we could upload them to all Geth without sacrificing their independence."

"That would make the Geth as smart as when the Reaper was controlling them!" Tali exclaimed.

"Yes, but with free will. Each Geth unit would be a true intelligence. We would be alive, and we could help you."

"_What?-!_" Admiral Xen spoke up, sounding none too happy. "_Y-You can't do that!_"

"_And why not?_" Admiral Koris replied. "_Because you can't conduct your experiments on them anymore if they're sapient, you sociopathic witch?_"

"_I've come too far! W-We can't let this happen! Shala, you agree with me, right? They've killed too many of our people!_"

"…_No, Daro_" Admiral Raan replied. "_The Geth didn't kill our people this time; the Reapers did. The Geth… They have __**earned**__ this. Your cold disregard for the rights and comfort of other beings – and I don't just mean the Geth – has caused far too many problems. You and Gerrel __**will**__ stand down, or I will have my Patrol Fleet fire upon the _Moreh_._"

"_And if the _Neema_ tries anything,_" Koris continued, "_the same fate will befall it._"

"_And do not expect the rest of us to merely hang back and watch, either_" Celestia chimed in from the _Solaria_.

"…_All ships, hold fire and stand down_" Admiral Gerrel ordered.

"_But-_"

"_Now__, Xen!_"

"…_You will regret this one day, all of you…_"

With that final threat, Admiral Xen disconnected from the comm. channel.

"I still think we should just blow her up now and save ourselves a headache later" Kal'Reegar said.

"We need all the technical expertise we can get" Shepard replied. "For now, Xen's too valuable to lose. But if she _does_ try anything, she has a million guns holding her in their crosshairs. …Legion, go ahead and upload the code."

The Geth nodded, and formed a spherical holographic interface as it began uploading the upgrade code, Reaper-made but now 100% purged of its makers' corruptive influence. After about a minute of work, however, Legion's body language changed.

"Error" it said. "Copying code is insufficient. Direct personality dissemination… required. Shepard-Commander, we… I must go to them. …I'm sorry. It's the only way…"

"Maybe not" Optimus Prime spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "There may be another way, Legion…"

Parts of Optimus' chest compartment shifted and changed, opening up. A glowing light shined from within, as a comparatively-small object floated out – silver, with sweeping curves that ended in sharp triangular points going in opposite directions, looking somewhat like a two-bladed propeller, and a small energy ball encased by a netted metal 'cage' in the middle.

"The Matrix of Leadership," he said, "imbued with a fragment of the All-Spark's power in addition to its own abilities. Let us see if its power can 'fill in the gap'…"

At Optimus' bidding, the Matrix floated forward and down, hovering in place, slowly spinning, in front of Legion. With caution and what almost seemed like reverence, Legion formed its spherical holographic interface containing the upgrade code around the Matrix. The various symbols and data-displays of the holo-sphere began to revolve in different directions, while inside the Matrix began to spin as well, the light at its core slowly brightening. The rotation and brightness steadily increased, until the Matrix was spinning like a propeller and glowing so brightly it almost hurt to look at.

Then, a flash of light accompanied a 'pulse' of some sorts that raced out across the entirety of Rannoch and the surrounding space. With the combined power of the Matrix and the upgrade code, each and every Geth was advanced to the ultimate state of their synthetic evolution: true, complete, individual sapience.

"It's done…" Legion stated, a bit awed. "My people's evolution has reached its terminus: we are _alive_. …Thank you, Prime. Now, we can help the Quarians rebuild even more, and maybe we can at last live with them in peace." It – He – turned to Shepard. "But before there can be peace for anyone, the Old Machines must be stopped. The Geth shall join the fight and lend engineers to the Crucible project… and, if you would have me, Commander, I wish to rejoin the Normandy team for the duration of this conflict."

"As do I, of course" Tali added.

"Permission granted" Shepard replied. "Good to have you both back."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

_**Normandy II**_**, Deck Two, QEC Room**

"_I can't thank you enough, Commander_" Admiral Shala'Raan said. "_You and the Dimensional Defense Force brought a peaceful end to this… unforeseen conflict. The Quarians will now be able to commit our forces to the war against the Reapers, and we will send specialists and resources to help with the Crucible's construction._"

"It was my pleasure, ma'am" Shepard replied. "And I promise I'll take good care of Legion and Tali."

"_Well, I already know you'll be taking __**very**__ good care of the latter… Oh, come now, Shepard; I am an old woman, and I have learned quite a few things in my time, plus I know Tali very well. The other Admirals may not notice the signs, but I certainly do. …Be good to her, Shepard; I ask this of you as an Admiral, and as her godmother._" She suddenly turned to a terminal just offscreen, receiving a report. "_Hm, another one?_"

"Another what?"

"_After the Reaper War began and before things went bad, we – Quarians and Geth – were using cloaked probes to monitor behind enemy lines. We discovered something slightly alarming. Do you remember Dholen, Haestrom's sun – how it was behaving… oddly? We've discovered several other stars starting to behave in the exact same way, and they only started doing so recently. What's more, it is only cropping up in stars deep within Reaper-controlled territory; areas that are still under Council-race control have no such cases._"

"Let us know if you find anything out, and we'll do the same."

"_Thank you, Shepard; we will. The Reapers and Cerberus are bad enough; we do not need another mysterious new danger hanging over everyone's heads. Fly safely, Shepard._"

"_Keelah se'lai_, Admiral."

As the connection cut, Shepard headed out to the CIC to check his e-mail. There were a few little things – a status update from the Geth, requests from Garrus and Cortez to meet up with him on the Citadel, and – to his relief – a report from Admiral Hackett stating that Shepard's mother was alive and well, now promoted to Rear-Admiral and part of Hackett's fleet. However, the last item on the list was from an unexpected source, and contained a curious message:

"_From: Aria T'Loak_

_Subject: It's Time_

Shepard, I'm ready to discuss that 'pet project' I mentioned when we spoke in Purgatory after that whole Cerberus debacle. Come to Dock 42 on the Citadel. A Batarian named Bray will be waiting."

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: reclaiming a certain wretched hive of scum and villainy from Cerberus control


End file.
